WASHINGTON: Former FBI director James Comey will make his first court appearance on Wednesday to face charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Comey’s arraignment is scheduled for 10:00 am at a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, before district judge Michael Nachmanoff.
The 64-year-old former FBI chief is expected to plead not guilty to both felony counts.
Comey was indicted last month in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s campaign against his political opponents.
Appointed by former president Barack Obama in 2013, Comey faces charges of lying to Congress and obstruction stemming from his 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.
Prosecutors accuse him of falsely stating he had not authorized another FBI employee to act as an anonymous news source.
Conviction could result in a prison sentence of up to five years for the former FBI director.
Trump fired Comey in 2017 during the investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion with Moscow.
The indictment followed Trump’s public urging of Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other perceived enemies.
Trump hailed the indictment, calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to.”
The Republican president has taken numerous punitive measures against political opponents since taking office in January.
These actions include stripping security clearances from former officials and targeting law firms involved in past cases against him.
Comey’s indictment occurred after US attorney Erik Siebert reportedly told Justice Department leaders there was insufficient evidence for charges.
Trump replaced Siebert with his former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who secured the indictment.
Comey proclaimed his innocence in an Instagram video, stating his family had known there would be costs to standing up to Trump.
Trump himself faced multiple investigations after leaving the White House in 2021.
The FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 as part of a classified documents investigation.
Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election results.
Both cases against Trump were dropped after he won the November 2024 presidential election. – AFP