Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, to criminal charges that his defense attorney described as a politically driven and retaliatory prosecution ordered by President Donald Trump, whose 2016 presidential campaign Comey’s FBI once investigated.
Throughout his political career, Trump has repeatedly threatened to jail his opponents, beginning with the “lock her up” chants targeting Democrat Hillary Clinton during his 2016 campaign. Since returning to the White House, Trump has urged the Justice Department to pursue legal action against several perceived rivals.
Comey is the first of these figures to face criminal charges. Others targeted by Trump’s rhetoric include New York Attorney General Letitia James, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and, most recently, the Democratic governor of Illinois and Chicago’s mayor.
Comey entered his plea to charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation. The case was brought by Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney, who was appointed as a federal prosecutor last month after her predecessor was dismissed for refusing to pursue cases against Comey and James.
During a brief court appearance in Alexandria, Virginia, the 64-year-old former FBI director confirmed he understood his legal rights but offered no public remarks. His family sat quietly in the front row as his attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered the plea on his behalf.
“Our view is that this prosecution was brought at the direction of President Trump,” Fitzgerald told the court.
He also indicated plans to mount an aggressive legal defense, filing multiple motions to challenge what he described as “outrageous government conduct” and to question Halligan’s legitimacy as U.S. attorney.
Comey previously responded to the charges with a defiant video posted on social media, declaring, “We will not live on our knees.”
U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff of the Eastern District of Virginia set Comey’s trial date for January 5.
Charges Stem from 2020 Congressional Hearing
The indictment accuses Comey of knowingly making false statements during a 2020 congressional hearing when he told a Republican senator that he stood by his earlier testimony denying authorization for any FBI employee to serve as an anonymous source in media reports about FBI investigations.
Prosecutors allege that Comey secretly approved an FBI staffer to disclose information about a federal investigation, believed to be related to the Hillary Clinton email inquiry. However, the indictment does not specify details or name the employee involved.
Defense attorney Fitzgerald told the court he had yet to receive essential details about the allegations, including the identity of the alleged informant. He announced plans to file several motions to dismiss the case entirely, arguing it is “vindictive” and politically motivated.
Prosecutor Nathaniel Lemons said the case involved a “significant amount of classified information,” prompting the judge to warn both sides that such sensitive evidence would not delay the proceedings.
Trump’s Expanding Campaign Against Political Opponents
Earlier on Wednesday, just hours before Comey’s court appearance, Trump called for the imprisonment of Chicago’s mayor and Illinois’ governor, both Democrats, amid heightened immigration enforcement and the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 25% of Americans believe the Justice Department operates fairly and without political interference, highlighting growing public concern over Trump’s influence.
Halligan, the newly appointed prosecutor overseeing the Comey case, has no prior prosecutorial experience, having previously worked as an insurance attorney. According to Reuters, career attorneys within the department advised against pursuing charges, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. In a controversial move, two federal prosecutors from Raleigh, North Carolina, were reassigned to assist in handling the case.
The indictment followed Trump’s public complaints about Comey, suggesting the Justice Department’s swift action reflected a break from decades-long norms meant to shield law enforcement from political pressure.
Over 1,000 former Justice Department officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations have signed an open letter condemning the case as “an unprecedented assault on the rule of law.”
Comey’s Contentious Legacy
Comey remains one of the most polarizing figures in modern U.S. political history. In 2016, he angered Democrats by holding an extraordinary press conference announcing the FBI would not charge Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server—a decision many Democrats later argued contributed to Trump’s election victory.
The following year, Trump fired Comey over his handling of the FBI’s Russia investigation, which examined ties between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. The dismissal sparked outrage and led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose two-year investigation consumed much of Trump’s first term.
Mueller ultimately concluded that while there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy, his report did not fully exonerate Trump, leaving lingering controversy around the investigation’s findings.
Comey’s upcoming trial in January is expected to become another flashpoint in the growing political divide over presidential power, judicial independence, and the rule of law in the United States.
