Overview

• Comey was charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, focusing on his Sept. 30, 2020 testimony about authorizing anonymous sourcing.
• The indictment was signed by newly installed interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan after the resignation of Erik Siebert, and it arrived just before a five-year statute-of-limitations deadline.
• Grand jurors declined a proposed third false-statement count; an arraignment is set for Oct. 9 before Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, and each count carries a maximum penalty of five years.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi said “no one is above the law,” while President Trump publicly celebrated the action days after urging prosecutions of Comey and other critics.
• Comey and his attorney Patrick Fitzgerald deny the charges, and internal dissent within the Virginia office, including warnings from career prosecutors, has fueled debate over political influence on the case.