Former FBI Director James Comey has pleaded not responsible to each counts in a federal indictment associated to his testimony earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020.
He’s charged with one depend of false statements and one depend of obstruction of a congressional continuing.
The plea was entered by his lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald, who requested for a jury trial.
Comey was in court docket Wednesday for the primary time since he was indicted final month.
He was joined contained in the Alexandria, Virginia, courtroom by Fitzgerald and attorneys David Kelley and Jessica Carmichael.
The federal government was being represented by U.S. lawyer Lindsey Halligan and Nathaniel “Tyler” Lemons, a prosecutor from the Jap District of North Carolina.
Comey’s spouse and his daughter, Maureen Comey, have been seen arriving on the Alexandria courthouse forward of the continuing.
A federal grand jury indicted Comey on Sept. 25. Comey has denied any wrongdoing and mentioned he seems ahead to a trial.
Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey speaks to members of the media on the Rayburn Home Workplace Constructing on Capitol Hill December 07, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Photographs
The indictment got here simply days after President Donald Trump publicly demanded Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi and the Justice Division act “now” in opposition to Comey and different political opponents.
Comey has been a longtime goal of Trump’s criticism over his investigation into Russian interference within the 2016 election. Trump on Monday, talking to reporters within the Oval Workplace, known as Comey a “soiled cop” and claimed it was a “easy case.”
However the Comey matter has thrown the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Jap District of Virginia into turmoil, in accordance with sources. The earlier U.S. lawyer, Erik Siebert, resigned over pressure from the Trump administration to convey felony prices in opposition to Comey and New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James. Trump mentioned he fired Siebert.
Lindsey Halligan, lawyer for Donald Trump, holds ceremonial proclamations to be signed by Donald Trump (not pictured) within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, on March 6, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Al Drago/Getty Photographs
Trump then handpicked Halligan, a White Home aide and his former protection lawyer, to exchange Siebert and lead the workplace. Halligan introduced the Comey case to the grand jury, regardless of prosecutors and investigators figuring out there was inadequate proof to cost him, ABC Information reported on the time.
Forward of Wednesday’s arraignment, the Division of Justice added two assistant U.S. attorneys from out of state to work on the case.
ABC Information’ Alexander Mallin, Peter Charalambous and Ely Brown contributed to this report.
