Shortly after President Donald Trump called former FBI director James Comey a “bad person,” a federal grand jury charged Comey with “serious crimes related to the disclosure of sensitive information.”
A Thursday press release from the U.S. Department of Justice said the indictment alleges that Comey “obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information,” and that he made a false statement about this alleged violation.
“Comey stated that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment that statement was false,” said the release.
Earlier in the day, Trump called Comey a “bad person” during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office. He also said Comey “did terrible things” while he was at the FBI.
Per FBI history, Comey was sworn in as the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in September 2013, while former President Barack Obama was in office. He served until May 2017, early on in Trump’s first term. Prior to leading the FBI, he served as a state’s attorney, a U.S. attorney and an attorney general. He also served as general counsel and senior vice president for defense contractor Lockheed Martin and as general counsel for Connecticut-based investment fund Bridgewater Associates. More recently, he’s penned crime novels.
As FBI director, Comey succeeded Robert Mueller. Andrew McCabe briefly served as acting FBI director in 2017 before Christopher Wray stepped into the role. Wray was succeeded by current FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability,” said Patel of Comey’s indictment. “For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust. Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose. Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch. No one is above the law.”
Patel’s use of the term “Russiagate” is a reference to an investigation and 2017 report looking into Russian election interference. According to the Associated Press, this investigation “shadowed Trump through his first term,” and he has “lingering ire” over the matter.
“Perhaps never in the history of our Country has someone been more thoroughly disgraced and excoriated than James Comey in the just released Inspector General’s Report,” said Trump in a 2019 X (then Twitter) post. “He should be ashamed of himself!”
Trump also mentioned Comey in a Sept. 20 Truth Social post.
“No one is above the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, per the DOJ’s press release. “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.”
The DOJ noted that the indictment is merely an allegation and that Comey is presumed innocent until proven guilty.