A grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday on two counts: false statements within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
The indictment, which was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, centers on alleged false testimony Comey provided to Congress in September of 2020 about his handling of the Russia collusion hoax.
“On or about September 30, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia, the defendant, JAMES B. COMEY JR., did willfully and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch of the Government of the United States, by falsely stating to a U.S. Senator during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he … had not ‘authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports’ regarding an FBI investigation concerning PERSON 1,” the indictment reads.
The indictment alleges such a statement was false since Comey “then and there knew, he in fact had authorized PERSON 3 to serve as an anonymous source in news reports regarding an FBI investigation concerning PERSON 1.”
The indictment further alleges that Comey tried to “influence, obstruct and impede the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry … by making false and misleading statements before that committee.”
The charges arise from testimony Comey gave in 2020 when Sen. Ted Cruz questioned him about testimony he previously provided in 2017, in which he stated “he did not authorize leaking information regarding the FBI’s investigations into President Donald Trump or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,” as described by NBC News. Comey told Cruz he stood by the testimony.
But former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Comey was aware of the leak of information to the press and essentially gave it the stamp of approval after the fact, a 2018 Justice Department inspector general’s report found.
Addressing the indictment, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “No one is above the law” in a statement on X.
“Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
FBI Director Kash Patel issued a similar statement, saying: “For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust. Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on.”
“Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose. Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account — no matter their perch,” Patel continued.
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2