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Former FBI Director James Comey will be arraigned in federal court Wednesday morning after being charged with alleged false statements and obstruction of legal proceedings.
Komi said he was innocent.
The former FBI director is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 10 a.m. at the Albert W. Bryan United States Courthouse in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The judge presiding over the hearing is District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Comey Charged with Alleged False Statements, Obstruction of Congressional Proceedings
Former FBI Director James Comey will appear in court Wednesday morning for his first appearance since being charged with alleged false statements and obstruction of Congress. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Comey was indicted last month by a federal grand jury on two counts of alleged false statements within the jurisdiction of the legislature and obstruction of Congress.
The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of confidential information, in violation of 18 USC 1505.
The indictment also alleges that Comey made a false statement when he said he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, this allegation was false.
Fox News Digital exclusively reported in July that Komi was under criminal investigation FBI. The investigation into Comey focused on whether he lied to Congress during his Sept. 30, 2020, testimony about his handling of the FBI's initial Trump-Russia investigation, known within the Bureau as the “Crossfire Hurricane.”
“No one is above the law” Attorney General Pam Bondi X said after the indictment, adding that it “reflects the commitment of this Department of Justice to hold those who abuse the power responsible for misleading the American people. In this case, we will follow the facts.”
Former FBI Director James Comey is seen at a hearing on Capitol Hill in 2017. (Associated Press)
Comey denies accusations, says 'I'm not afraid'
FBI Director Kash Patel said: “The previous corrupt leadership and their emotional federal law enforcement agencies, crippling proud institutions and severely eroding public trust.”
“We continue to fight every day to earn that trust, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on,” Patel said. “Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more flagrant than during the Russiagate hoax, a shameful chapter in a story that we continue to investigate and expose.”
He added: “Everyone, especially those in office, will be held accountable – regardless of their position.”
Comey, following the accusation, posted a video on Instagram denying the accusations.
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn't imagine living our lives any other way,” he said. “We will not live on our knees, and neither should you. Someone I love recently said that fear is a tyrant's tool, and she's right.”
“But I’m not afraid,” Comey added.
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I am innocent, so let's have a trial and keep the faith,” Comey said.
Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan is under criminal investigation related to the Trump-Russia investigation.
Under federal law, prosecutors have five years to bring charges, with Five years Mark occurs on Tuesday.
Trump says 'Komi' placed cloud across country' with Hurricane Crossfire, reacts to accusation
The case is being prosecuted by the Office of the United States Counsel for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The FBI opened its Trump-Russia investigation in July 2016, known within the Bureau as a “crossfire hurricane.”
Robert Mueller, former special counsel for the US Department of Justice. (AP Newsroom | Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg Via Getty Images | Mike Cohen/Getty Images for the New York Times)
President Donald Trump fired Comey in May 2017 during his first term.
Days later, Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel to take over the original FBI investigation into the hurricane.
After nearly two years, former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which ended in March 2019, found no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.
Shortly thereafter, John Durham was appointed special counsel to investigate the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
Exclusive: FBI launches criminal investigations of John Brennan, James Comey: DOJ sources
Durham found that the FBI “failed to act” on a “clear warning” that the Bureau was a “target” of efforts led by Clinton to “manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes” leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Fox News Digital broke down a series of stories related to Special Counsel John Durham. (Reuters/Julia Nikhinson)
“The foregoing facts reflect a rather astonishing and inexplicable failure to adequately review and incorporate the Clinton intelligence plan into the intelligence investigation of the FBI's CrossFire Hurricane investigation,” Durham's report said.
“Indeed, if the FBI had opened the CrossFire Hurricanes investigation as an assessment and, in turn, collected and analyzed the data consistent with information from the Clinton plan intelligence, it is likely that the resulting information would have been considered, at a minimum, with a more significant look,” the report continued.
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Durham, in his report, said the FBI “failed to act on what should have been – when combined with other compelling facts – a clear warning sign that the FBI may be the target of an attempt to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political gain during the 2016 presidential election.”
