Former FBI Director James Comey has arrived to make his first court appearance Wednesday morning in a Justice Department criminal case accusing him of lying to Congress five years ago.
The case has amplified concerns the Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of President Donald Trump’s political enemies. 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.
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Comey’s trial date is tentatively set for Jan. 5
The criminal case has thrown a spotlight on the Justice Department’s efforts to target adversaries of President Trump.
Comey pleaded not guilty through his lawyer to allegations that he lied to Congress five years go.
Former FBI Director James Comey has pleaded not guilty
Comey entered the not guilty plea through his lawyer at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, to allegations that he lied to Congress five years ago, 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.
Former FBI Director James Comey has arrived in court for arraignment
Comey is expected to plead not guilty during his appearance at federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday.
Comey’s arraignment is expected to be brief. But the moment is nonetheless loaded with historical significance given that the case has amplified concerns that the Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of President Trump’s political enemies and is operating at the behest of a White House determined to seek retribution.
Comey’s legal team includes Patrick Fitzgerald, the former U.S. attorney in Chicago.
Trump plans to hold a roundtable on antifa
The White House hasn’t released details about the meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Trump has said he plans to designate antifa, an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups, as a “major terrorist organization” but it’s not clear how that would work against the decentralized movement.
Trump calls for jailing Illinois governor and Chicago mayor as leaders oppose Guard deployment
The president said in a Wednesday morning social media post that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritkzer, both Democrats, “should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what Trump was specifically objecting to with his post, but it was the latest example of his brazen calls for his opponents to be prosecuted or locked up, a break from longtime norms as the Justice Department traditionally sought to maintain its independence.
Authorities said a woman was shot over the weekend in Chicago when Border Patrol vehicles were boxed in and struck by other vehicles.
Outside Chicago, in the village of Broadview, there have been skirmishes between protesters and agents outside a detention center.
Several of Comey’s family members have arrived in court ahead of the arraignment
They include 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.
Federal government shutdown grinds into a second week, but quiet talks emerging
Tours at the Capitol have come to a standstill. The House is keeping its doors closed, while the Senate is stuck in a loop of failed votes on a rejected plan to reopen the government. President Trump is threatening to mass fire federal workers and refuse back pay for the rest.
As the government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.
The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies as part of any plan to end the shutdown. But so have Democrats dug in, convinced Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes and blaming Trump for the shutdown.
Behind the scenes, though, signs of discomfort are apparent.
A loosely formed collection of senators, Republicans and Democrats, have bantered about options for addressing the health insurance problem.
And Trump himself signaled he was open to negotiating with Democrats over their demands to save health care subsidies.
▶ Read more about the government shutdown
Lawsuit against Trump’s Washington National Guard deployment exposes country’s deep partisan divide
A partisan battle is playing out in a Washington courtroom that could decide the fate of President Trump’s federal law enforcement intervention in the nation’s capital.
Dozens of states have taken sides in a lawsuit challenging the open-ended National Guard deployment in Washington, with their support falling along party lines. It shows how the law enforcement operation in the nation’s capital remains a flashpoint in the Republican president’s broadening campaign to send the military to cities across the country and underscores the deepening divisions over the move.
The lawsuit, filed Sept. 4 by Washington Attorney General Brian Schwalb, challenges the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard in the heavily Democratic city as part of an emergency order issued by Trump to stem what the president called “out of control” crime. Although the order has lapsed, hundreds of troops are still in the city, which is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the deployment.
▶ Read more about the lawsuit over federal intervention
Veteran defense lawyer turned judge oversees case against former FBI Director Comey
Michael Nachmanoff has built a quiet reputation in the federal courthouse in northern Virginia — a onetime public defender turned judge known for methodical preparation and a cool temperament. On Wednesday, he finds himself at the center of a political storm: presiding over the Justice Department’s prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey.
Confirmed to the bench by President Joe Biden in 2021, Nachmanoff was randomly assigned to the case after a Virginia grand jury indicted Comey last month on charges including obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The assignment instantly drew President Trump’s attention. Trump, long fixated on Comey, blasted him as a “Dirty Cop” and derided Nachmanoff as a “Crooked Joe Biden appointed Judge” while celebrating the charges as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!”
Despite the political noise, lawyers who know Nachmanoff say he is unlikely to be swayed.
▶ Read more about Judge Michael Nachmanoff
Comey’s indictment two weeks ago followed an extraordinary chain of events
President Trump publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other perceived adversaries.
The Republican president also replaced the veteran attorney who’d 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 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.
▶ Read more about the case against James Comey
Trump’s public schedule, according to the White House
11 a.m. ET: The president will receive his intelligence briefing
3 p.m.: Trump will join a round table on Antifa
