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Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia are racing against time to potentially indict former FBI Director James Comey on perjury charges before the five-year statute of limitations expires next week.
The charges would relate to testimony Mr. Comey gave before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, 2020, regarding the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
A grand jury has not yet voted on the indictment, but prosecutors are examining whether Mr. Comey made false statements about the Russia probe during his congressional testimony. The potential indictment was first reported by MSNBC and represents what could be one of the highest-profile charges against a Trump opponent.
The timing coincides with President Trump’s public pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue charges against Mr. Comey and other political adversaries, including Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. In a Truth Social post, the president criticized the lack of action, writing that Mr. Comey, Mr. Schiff, and Ms. James are “all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”
Mr. Trump recently appointed Lindsey Halligan, his former personal attorney, as the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after forcing out Eric Siebert. Ms. Halligan was sworn in on Monday, positioning her to potentially oversee any Mr. Comey prosecution.
The administration has been releasing new information targeting Mr. Trump’s political opponents from the 2016 Russia investigation. CIA Director John Ratcliffe sent alleged evidence of wrongdoing by former CIA Director John Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution. The referral characterized interactions between Mr. Brennan and Mr. Comey as a “conspiracy,” opening broader prosecutorial possibilities.
Mr. Trump claims declassified documents provide “absolute proof of guilt” that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Mr. Comey conspired to sabotage his 2016 campaign. He called them “sick people” and “criminals” who orchestrated the “fake Russia witch hunt.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents showing December 2016 email exchanges between Mr. Clapper and former NSA Director Mike Rogers discussing Russian attribution for Democratic Party hacks. The emails suggest Mr. Clapper was determined to maintain the narrative that Russia interfered to benefit Mr. Trump, despite contrary evidence from other intelligence officials.
CIA Director Ratcliffe previously ordered a review of the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s 2016 election influence campaign, specifically examining whether Vladimir Putin intended to help Mr. Trump win. These investigations dominated Mr. Trump’s first presidential term, though he consistently denied any Kremlin connections.
Read more: Justice Department trying to indict former FBI Director James Comey by next week
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