Overview

• A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted former FBI director James Comey on one count of making a false statement and one count of obstruction of justice tied to his September 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.
• On HBO’s Real Time, Bill Maher argued the charges reflect a “rise of autocracy,” saying the U.S. has entered a phase of prosecuting political opponents.
• Maher criticized the choice of Lindsey Halligan to handle the case, describing her as Trump’s personal lawyer with no prosecution experience and noting she followed the departure of a U.S. attorney, claims he raised in his monologue.
• Trump hailed the indictment on TruthSocial, declaring “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” and calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.”
• Comey is described in coverage as the first senior official involved in the 2016 Trump-Russia inquiries to face federal charges.