Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, argued Thursday night that there is “very little chance” that former FBI Director James Comey will ever be convicted after being indicted by a federal grand jury hours earlier.
“So the good news is, I think there’s very little chance he could ever be convicted, because it’s so clearly a case of vindictive and selective prosecution, where all of the norms of the rule of law have been suspended, and the president didn’t care about the facts, and the president didn’t care about the law, he just cared about his emotions, and it was a vengeance campaign,” Raskin said during his appearance on MSNBC’s “The Briefing.”
“So I think either the judge will have to throw it out, or a jury hearing it will see it and simply…it cannot find that there is remotely enough evidence to convict,” the Maryland Democrat told host Jen Psaki.
Comey, a longtime foe of President Trump, was indicted on charges of making a false statement as well as for obstruction of a congressional proceeding related to his testimony to Congress in 2020. The indictment came just days after Trump called for Comey and other perceived political opponents to be prosecuted.
“No one is above the law. 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,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media.
According to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, which brought the case, if convicted, Comey could serve up to five years in prison.
Comey is set to be arraigned on Oct. 9.
In response, Comey professed his innocence and added that he is not “afraid.”
“My family and I have known for years there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump. But we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either,” Comey said in a video he posted on Instagram.
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system,” the ex-FBI director added. “And I’m innocent. So, let’s have a trial. And keep the faith.”
Comey obstructed Congress by lying during his 2020 Senate testimony in relation to the investigations into Trump during 2016, according to the indictment.
“Comey stated that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, that statement was false,” the DOJ said.
Raskin, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, slammed the indictment as a “scandal” and referenced the previous U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik S. Siebert, who stepped down from his role after earlier this month and was succeeded by Lindsey Halligan, the president’s former defense lawyer.
“Then he replaces him with a hand-picked sycophant, underling, who never had had a day working as a prosecutor, who gets into office, and what do you know? Dusts off the exact indictment that had been rejected by the U.S. attorney and decides to indict James Comey for it,” the Maryland lawmaker said.