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Former FBI director James Comey pleaded not guilty to felony charges in a case widely seen as an escalation of US President Donald Trump’s campaign of retribution against political opponents.
Throughout his political career, Trump has threatened to jail his rivals, beginning with chants of “lock her up” during his successful 2016 run against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Since returning to the White House, he has urged the Justice Department to take on perceived political enemies.
Comey, 64, a prominent critic of the president, was indicted by a grand jury last month on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered a not guilty plea before district judge Michael Nachmanoff during his arraignment in a packed federal courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia.
Fitzgerald also said he intended to file a motion seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds it is a vindictive and selective prosecution.
Comey spoke briefly, replying “I do, your honour” when asked by the judge if he understood the charges against him.
The judge scheduled a trial date of 5 January.
Comey made no other public statements on Thursday AEDT, after responding to the charges last month with a defiant video on social media in which he said, “We will not live on our knees.”
What are the charges against Comey?
Comey’s indictment stems from sworn testimony he gave to the senate judiciary committee in 2020 on the probe he led into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.
He is accused of falsely stating that he had not authorised another FBI employee to be an anonymous source in news reports.
He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Comey was appointed to head the FBI by president Barack Obama in 2013 and was fired by Trump in 2017 amid the probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.
The charges against Comey came just days after Trump publicly urged attorney general Pam Bondi to take action against the former FBI director and others he sees as enemies — a stunning departure from the principle that the justice department must be free from White House pressure.
The 79-year-old Trump — the first convicted felon to serve as US president — hailed the indictment, calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to.”
