Overview

• Comey entered a not‑guilty plea in Alexandria on two counts—making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding—stemming from his 2020 Senate testimony.
• The indictment was returned Sept. 25 just before the five‑year deadline; the grand jury rejected a third count and, according to reporting, approved the two charges with only 14 of 23 votes.
• The defense signaled motions to dismiss for unlawful appointment of U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan and on claims of vindictive and selective prosecution, with additional challenges to grand‑jury process.
• Career Justice Department prosecutors reportedly declined the case and warned in internal memos of “likely insurmountable problems,” including concerns about a key witness’s credibility.
• Halligan, a former personal lawyer to the president with no prior federal prosecution experience, took over after Erik Siebert’s ouster; courtroom accounts described newly assigned prosecutors seeking more time as reports also detailed Trump’s public demands for charges and a misposted directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi that officials later confirmed was intended to be private.