Comey Pleads Not Guilty To Making False Statements & Obstruction
2 hours ago
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges, and his lawyer said he would file a barrage of legal challenges to the first prosecution by the Justice Department against one of President Donald Trump's political enemies.
The charges, accusing Comey of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, were brought by Trump's former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan. She was installed last month as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after Trump forced out her predecessor over his reticence to prosecute Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The case is a test of Trump's intent to use the legal system against people who have criticized him or resisted his agenda, despite concerns from career prosecutors about the strength of the evidence.
U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff of the Eastern District of Virginia scheduled the trial to begin on January 5.
Comey's lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered the plea on Comey's behalf during a roughly 25-minute court hearing.
“Our view is that this prosecution was brought at the direction of President Trump," Fitzgerald said in court.
The charges, accusing Comey of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, were brought by Trump's former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan. She was installed last month as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after Trump forced out her predecessor over his reticence to prosecute Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The case is a test of Trump's intent to use the legal system against people who have criticized him or resisted his agenda, despite concerns from career prosecutors about the strength of the evidence.
U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff of the Eastern District of Virginia scheduled the trial to begin on January 5.
Comey's lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered the plea on Comey's behalf during a roughly 25-minute court hearing.
“Our view is that this prosecution was brought at the direction of President Trump," Fitzgerald said in court.
