Legal Proceedings - Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstruction of a political proceeding related to his 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony [1][3] - Comey requested a jury trial, mirroring his public statements expressing faith in the federal judicial system and asserting his innocence [4] - Comey is represented by Patrick Fitzgerald, a former prominent US attorney [3] - The indictment reading was waived in court [3] Political Context - Protesters supportive of Comey expressed concerns about the politicization of the justice system [6] - President Trump publicly directed his attorney general to investigate perceived political rivals, including James Comey [6] - Comey was indicted 5 days after Trump's social media post [7] - Questions arise regarding potential coordination between the president and the Department of Justice in the Comey investigation [12] Personnel Changes at the Department of Justice - A career prosecutor serving as US attorney was fired [8] - An acting US attorney with a background in insurance law and prior work in the White House was appointed [8] - The acting US attorney presented evidence to a grand jury, leading to the two federal charges against Comey [9] Case Details - The charges against Comey stem from his testimony about whether he authorized a leak to the news media regarding the Clinton Foundation investigation [10] - The government alleges that Comey lied to Congress [11] - Comey's attorneys are expected to seek dismissal of the case, arguing it is a vindictive prosecution influenced by public pressure from the president [13] - Proving intent to provide false information will be a key aspect of the case [15]

In the last few minutes, former FBI Director James Comey was arraigned in a Virginia courthouse where he pleaded not guilty. He was charged last month on two counts making a false statement and obstruction of a political proceeding. They relate to testimony Comey gave during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing back in 2020. ...

Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia. The former bureau chief is charged with one count of making a false statement and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Comey has denied any wrongdoing, but if convicted, he faces up to 5 years in prison.This case stems from this 2020 judiciary committee hearing with Senator Ted Cruz asking Comey about this. Chairman Grassly asked you point blank, quote, "Have you ever been an anonymous source in news re ...