(NewsNation) — Former FBI Director James Comey is due in court Wednesday for the first time since he was federally indicted on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing justice.
The Justice Department has accused Comey of lying to Congress during 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the FBI’s handling of the investigation into alleged Russian collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election.
Comey has said he is prepared to fight those charges and is expected to plead not guilty to both counts. If convicted, he could face several years in prison.
Chicago mayor says Trump’s troop deployment is about power, not safety
President Donald Trump fired Comey during his first term and described that collusion investigation as a hoax and a “witch hunt.”
“Comey is a crooked guy, has been for years, and he got caught,” Trump told reporters this week. “Look, he lied. This is just a simple case. He totally lied. He made a very definitive statement and a very important statement concerning him, and he got caught in an outright lie.”
Former White House aide and now acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan will be the lead prosecutor in the case. Halligan was sworn in in September after U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert resigned following Trump’s calls for his ouster.
According to the Washington Post, Siebert declined to prosecute Comey, citing insufficient evidence of giving false testimony. Comey’s indictment led to some Democrats accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing the Department of Justice.
Government shutdown slams nation’s already understaffed airports
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump,” Comey said in a social media post. “But we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees.”
Michael Nachmanoff is the federal judge overseeing this case and was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2021. Nachmanoff’s assignment to the case has drawn pushback from Trump, who accuses him of being a “Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge,” according to the Associated Press.
Speaking with the outlet, Lisa Wayne, executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said the White House should welcome Nachmanoff’s involvement as a safeguard “against the appearance of partisan political attacks.”
