Comey will make first court appearance in Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress

Comey will make first court appearance in Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress
Associated PressFILE - Former FBI Director James Comey, arrivex to testify under subpoena behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey is set to make his first court appearance Wednesday in a Justice Department criminal case accusing him of lying to Congress five years ago.
The arraignment is expected to be brief, but the moment is nonetheless loaded with historical significance given that the case has amplified concerns the Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of President Donald Trump’s political enemies and is operating at the behest of a White House determined to seek retribution.
Comey is expected to plead not guilty at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, kick-starting a process of legal wrangling in which defense lawyers will almost certainly move to get the indictment dismissed before trial, possibly by arguing the case amounts to a selective or vindictive prosecution.
The indictment two weeks ago followed an extraordinary chain of events that saw Trump publicly implore Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other perceived adversaries. The Republican president also replaced the veteran attorney who had been overseeing the investigation with Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had never previously served as a federal prosecutor. Halligan rushed to file charges before a legal deadline lapsed despite warnings from other lawyers in the office that the evidence was insufficient for an indictment.
The two-count indictment alleges that Comey made a false statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020, by denying he had authorized an associate to serve as an anonymous source to the news media and that he obstructed a congressional proceeding. Comey has denied any wrongdoing and has said he was looking forward to a trial. The indictment does not identify the associate or say what information may have been discussed with the media, making it challenging to assess the strength of the evidence or to even fully parse the allegations.
Though an indictment is typically just the start of a protracted court process, the Justice Department has trumpeted the development itself as something of a win, regardless of the outcome. Trump administration officials are likely to point to any conviction as proof the case was well-justified, but an acquittal or even dismissal may also be held up as further support for their long-running contention the criminal justice system is stacked against them.
The judge randomly assigned to the case, Michael Nachmanoff, was nominated to the bench by President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration and is a former chief federal defender. Known for methodical preparation and a cool temperament, the judge and his background have already drawn Trump’s attention, with the president deriding him as a “Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge.”
Several Comey family members arrived in court Wednesday morning ahead of the arraignment, including his daughter Maurene, who was fired by the Justice Department earlier this year from her position as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, as well as Troy Edwards Jr., a son-in-law of Comey’s who minutes after Comey was indicted resigned his job as a prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia — the same office that filed the charges.
The indictment was the latest chapter in a long-broken relationship between Trump and Comey.
Trump arrived in office in January 2017 as Comey, appointed to the FBI director job by President Barack Obama four years earlier, was overseeing an investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The dynamic was fraught from the start, with Comey briefing Trump weeks before he took office on the existence of uncorroborated and sexually salacious gossip in a dossier of opposition research compiled by a former British spy.
In their first several private interactions, Comey would later reveal, Trump asked his FBI director to pledge his loyalty to him and to drop an FBI investigation into his administration’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Comey said Trump also asked him to announce that Trump himself was not under investigation as part of the broader inquiry into Russian election interference, something Comey did not do.
Comey was abruptly fired in May 2017 while at an event in Los Angeles, with Trump later saying he was thinking about “this Russia thing” when he decided to terminate him. The firing was investigated by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller as an act of potential obstruction of justice.
Comey in 2018 published a memoir, “A Higher Loyalty,” that painted Trump in deeply unflattering ways, likening him to a mafia don and characterizing him as unethical and “untethered to truth.”
Trump, for his part, continued to angrily vent at Comey as the Russia investigation led by Mueller dominated headlines for the next two years and shadowed his first administration. On social media, he repeatedly claimed Comey should face charges for “treason” — an accusation Comey dismissed as “dumb lies” — and called him an “untruthful slime ball.”
___
Tucker reported from Washington.

News

42 minutes ago in Entertainment

A character wouldn’t leave Reese Witherspoon alone. It led to her first novel

Fresh

Reese Witherspoon's first novel for adults began with the kind of inspiration veteran fiction writers know well — a character who wouldn't leave her alone.

1 day ago in Entertainment

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" music video, has died. He was 51.

1 day ago in Entertainment

‘Tron: Ares’ tops box office but falls short of expectations with $33.5 million debut

"Tron: Ares" powered up the box office grid in the top spot this weekend, but Disney's third entry in the sci-fi franchise fell short of expectations.

1 day ago in Entertainment

Oprah Winfrey picks Megha Majumdar’s ‘A Guardian and a Thief’ for book club

Megha Majumdar's " A Guardian and a Thief," already a finalist for the National Book Award and Kirkus Prize, is now Oprah Winfrey's book club pick.

2 days ago in Entertainment

Steve Martin, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn are among stars paying tribute to Diane Keaton

Oscar winning actor Diane Keaton, who died at 79, was known for her performances and style that helped shaped some of the most indelible films of all time, including "The Godfather," "Annie Hall," "Father of the Bride" and "Something's Gotta Give."

5 days ago in Entertainment, Music

No Doubt reunites for Sphere residency. Gwen Stefani will be first woman to headline the Vegas venue

Don't speak — scream, because No Doubt has announced the band's first run of shows in 14 years. After surprising fans with a brief reunion at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the ska-punks have set their sights on Las Vegas.

News

42 minutes ago in Entertainment

A character wouldn’t leave Reese Witherspoon alone. It led to her first novel

Fresh

Reese Witherspoon's first novel for adults began with the kind of inspiration veteran fiction writers know well — a character who wouldn't leave her alone.

1 day ago in Entertainment

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" music video, has died. He was 51.

1 day ago in Entertainment

‘Tron: Ares’ tops box office but falls short of expectations with $33.5 million debut

"Tron: Ares" powered up the box office grid in the top spot this weekend, but Disney's third entry in the sci-fi franchise fell short of expectations.

News

53 minutes ago in National

County judge in Chicago area bars ICE from arresting people at court

Fresh

Cook County's top judge signed an order barring ICE from arresting people at court. Cook County includes Chicago, which has seen a federal immigration crackdown in recent months.

8 hours ago in National

Supreme Court takes up GOP-led challenge to Voting Rights Act that could affect control of Congress

The Supreme Court is taking up a major Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, that could gut a key provision of the law that prohibits racial discrimination in redistricting.

1 day ago in National

Trump honoring Charlie Kirk with Presidential Medal of Freedom on what would be his 32nd birthday

President Donald Trump on Tuesday is posthumously awarding America's highest civilian honor to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated activist who inspired a generation of young conservatives and helped push the nation's politics further to the right.

1 day ago in National

Rare October storm brings heavy rain and possible mudslides to Southern California

A rare October storm arrived in California on Tuesday and threatened to pummel wildfire-scarred Los Angeles neighborhoods with heavy rain, high winds and possible mudslides. Some homes were ordered to evacuate.