The US Justice Department said it had indicted former FBI Director James Comey on criminal charges of false statements and obstruction on Thursday, in an escalation of President Donald Trump's campaign to seek retribution against people who have investigated or criticised him.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Trump quickly hailed the move, proclaiming "JUSTICE IN AMERICA!"

"One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

"He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation."

Comey, for his part, insisted he's innocent.

"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," he said in a video message posted to Instagram.

Trump fired Comey in 2017, early in the Republican president's first term in office.

He has since regularly assailed Comey's handling of the FBI investigation that detailed contacts between Russians and Trump's 2016 campaign.

Since Trump returned to office in January, his Justice Department has been examining Comey's 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee when he addressed Republican criticisms of the Russia investigation and denied that he had authorised disclosures of sensitive information to the news media.

The case against Comey, who served as FBI director from 2013 until 2017, marked the starkest example of the Trump administration using its law enforcement power against a prominent critic after the president promised retribution during his successful 2024 election campaign.

The grand jury's indictment came after the president pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi for not moving quickly enough to bring criminal charges against Comey and other prominent Trump critics.

"No one is above the law," Bondi said in a social media post.

"Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people."

The effort to target Comey had been viewed with skepticism in the Eastern District of Virginia, the U.S. attorney's office handling the case.

The district's top federal prosecutor, Erik Siebert, resigned last week after drawing Trump's wrath for expressing doubts about the strength of the case, and the number two official, Mary "Maggie" Cleary, has also expressed concerns, according to people familiar with the situation.

Some other prosecutors in the office have told Siebert's successor, Lindsey Halligan, that charges should not be filed due to lack of evidence, according to one of the sources.

Halligan most recently served as a White House adviser, and before that was one of Trump's personal defense lawyers.

Trump and Comey have had an acrimonious relationship since the start of the president's first term in 2017.

Trump fired him as FBI director days after Comey publicly confirmed that the president was under investigation over his election campaign's connections to Russia.

Comey then emerged as a prominent critic of the president, calling him "morally unfit" for office. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2025-09-26 HKT 08:24