Former FBI Director James Comey indicted for alleged false testimony and obstruction of Justice

James Comey, former FBI director during Barack Obama's presidency, was indicted Thursday by a grand jury in Virginia on charges of false statement and obstruction of justice in a case that marks a new episode in the feud between the former Democratic official and President Donald Trump.

The indictment focuses on the alleged false testimony Comey reportedly provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020, when the former FBI director was questioned about mistakes made by the agency during the 'Crossfire Hurricane' investigation, which probed never-proven links between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian regime.

The indictment comes just days after Trump himself publicly urged his Justice Department to act "now" against Comey and other former Democratic officials linked to the fake Russian plot. The indictment moved quickly because the statute of limitations was set to expire next Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. By law, prosecutors have a maximum of five years after the testimony to bring charges.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi reacted quickly to the indictment: "No one is above the law. 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."

Context of the 'Crossfire Hurricane' investigation

The case against Comey centers on alleged false testimony to Congress about his handling of the original FBI investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

According to Fox News Digital, the inquiry was opened to determine whether Comey misrepresented information during those hearings to protect himself. In parallel, the news network revealed that former CIA director John Brennan also faces criminal investigations linked to the same case.

A subsequent report by special prosecutorJohn Durham concluded that the FBI "failed to act" in the face of clear signs that the investigation was used by Hillary Clinton's campaign for political purposesin the context of her election dispute with Trump himself.

"The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation," Durham wrote. "Indeed, had the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, gathered and analyzed data in concert with the information from the Clinton Plan intelligence, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye."

Trump's pressure on DOJ prosecutors

While President Trump's supporters were eagerly awaiting this indictment, critics of the administration have charged that the indictments come amid heavy public pressure from the Republican leader to go after his "political enemies."

According to sources cited by ABC News, Trump would have dismissed prosecutor Erik Siebert for hesitating to move forward against Comey. Instead, he opted to appoint Lindsey Halligan, a former lawyer for the president himself with no prior experience as a prosecutor.

"Pam Bondi is doing a GREAT job as Attorney General of the United States. She is very careful, very smart, loves our Country, but needs a tough prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, like my recommendation, Lindsey Halligan, to get things moving," Trump said on social media to justify the decision.