6.8 C
Scarborough

Former FBI director James Comey indicted on two charges

Must read

BBC – A federal grand jury in the US state of Virginia has formally charged former FBI Director James Comey with two offences related to testimony he gave to Congress.

Mr Comey, who has long drawn US President Donald Trump’s criticism, is accused of lying to a Senate committee in 2020 about whether he authorised a leak of classified information to the media.

Responding to the indictment, Mr Comey declared himself innocent and said he had “great confidence in the federal judicial system”.

The indictment comes days after Trump called on the country’s top law enforcement official to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries, including Mr Comey.

An indictment in the US justice system is a formal accusation issued by a grand jury after they review evidence to determine if a case should proceed.

Mr Comey may have his first court appearance on Friday but his arraignment – where charges are formally read out in front of a defendant in court – has been set for 9 October in Alexandria, Virginia, the BBC’s US partner CBS reports.

The probe is being led by Lindsey Halligan, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who was previously Trump’s personal lawyer and took over her new role on Monday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, urged by Trump at the weekend to pursue Comey, said in a statement that the indictment “reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people”.

More articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest article