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Trump has threatened to imprison his political rivals since he first ran for president in 2015, but Thursday’s indictment marks the first time his administration has succeeded in securing a grand jury indictment against one of them.
“No-one is above the law,” Bondi said in a statement as the justice department announced charges against Comey for committing “serious crimes”.
Who is James Comey?
His firing led to the appointment of another former FBI chief, Robert Mueller, as a special counsel to take charge of the Russia investigation, which unearthed numerous contacts between the campaign and Russian officials, but concluded that there was not enough evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy.
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the investigation James Comey led into his 2016 election campaign as a “witch hunt”. Source: AAP / Yuri Gripas/ABACA/Sipa USA
Trump repeatedly attacked the investigation as a “witch hunt” and his second administration has sought to undermine conclusions by US intelligence and law enforcement agencies about the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in which Trump defeated Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
What are the charges about?
The federal prosecutor in Virginia, who had been tasked with pursuing the case, resigned last week after drawing Trump’s wrath for expressing doubts about the case. Others in the office have privately said the evidence does not merit criminal charges, according to sources familiar with the matter.
