Former FBI Director James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress and blocking justice. This is a major step in President Donald Trump’s push to go after his political enemies. The charges come from what Comey said during a September 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The charges came just days after Trump publicly pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi to bring charges against Comey and other people he sees as enemies. Trump picked Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide and former personal attorney with no experience as a prosecutor, to lead the case. This happened after the previous US attorney Erik Siebert quit under pressure because he had concerns about weak evidence.
According to Newsweek, minutes after the charges were announced, Comey’s son-in-law Troy Edwards quit his job as deputy chief of the National Security Section in the Eastern District of Virginia. In a one-sentence letter to Halligan, Edwards wrote that he was quitting to uphold his oath to the Constitution and country. Edwards had been sitting in the front row of the courtroom during the charges.
Career prosecutors raised serious concerns about the case
According to several reports, career prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia sent a memo to Halligan explaining why they believed there was not enough evidence to charge Comey. The memo said prosecutors did not have enough proof to convince a grand jury. Despite these concerns, Halligan went ahead with bringing the case to the grand jury before the five-year time limit ran out on September 30.
The charges focus on what Comey said when Senator Ted Cruz asked if he had let anyone act as an unnamed source to reporters during the Russia investigation. Comey said he stood by his earlier 2017 testimony where he denied doing this. But prosecutors say this was false because former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Comey had given permission.
Trump celebrated the charges on Truth Social, writing: ‘JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI. Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ Attorney General Bondi said the charges show the Department of Justice’s promise to hold people who abuse power responsible. The move shows the latest step by Trump administration staff members connected to his political goals.
In a video response, Comey said he was innocent and that his heart was broken for the Department of Justice, but he had strong faith in the federal court system and wanted a trial. Edwards was the deputy chief who handled major spy cases and had been part of the team that found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack.
Published: Sep 26, 2025 10:32 am