The US Department of Justice has charged James Comey with perjury over testimony he gave to Congress five years ago. The news puts the former FBI boss back in the spotlight nearly a decade after playing a key part in the drama of the 2016 election campaign.
Who is James Comey?
After a childhood in New York and New Jersey, the young lawyer worked for various federal prosecutors including Rudy Giuliani in the high-profile Southern District of New York in the late 1980s. He later made waves as lead prosecutor against celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart, jailed for lying about financial misconduct in 2004. He scaled the echelons of the justice department, but left for the private sector before President Barack Obama appointed him to run the FBI in 2013.
His actions as its director in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election campaign, investigating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, caused a storm. Breaking with agency norms, Mr. Comey announced 11 days before polling day that he was reopening the case due to the discovery of new emails. Then a week later, the case was closed again with no further action taken. The inspector general was critical of Mr. Comey's handling of the case, and Clinton blamed his actions for her election defeat.
A few months later, he was out of a job, fired by Donald Trump, the new president.
Why did Trump fire Comey?
At the time, Mr. Comey was leading an investigation into Russian election interference and whether there were any links between Moscow and Trump's campaign. The White House said the firing was over Mr. Comey's handling of the Clinton probe. Democrats said it was due to the Russia investigation. This assertion was given extra weight when Trump said in an interview that Russia had been on his mind in acting against Mr. Comey. As a result of the firing, the investigation was placed in the hands of a special counsel, leading to dozens of criminal charges against Trump campaign staff and associates for various offences.
Why was Comey indicted?
The two-page indictment is short on details but indicates Mr. Comey has been charged with one count of making false statements and another of obstruction of justice. He maintains he is innocent and will prove that in court. Both counts relate to Mr. Comey's appearance via video before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020, where he was questioned about his handling of the Clinton case and another investigation on pro-Trump election interference by Russia. Prosecutors allege Mr. Comey misled the Senate by saying he had not authorized a leak to the media about an FBI investigation.
What was he testifying about in 2020?
It is not clear from the indictment what part of Mr. Comey's evidence is being used by prosecutors, or which leak they are referring to. One key exchange came when Senator Ted Cruz referenced testimony Comey had given to Congress in 2017, where he denied being a source for stories about the Trump or Clinton investigations. Some Republicans have cited this answer by Comey as potentially false due to alleged contradictions by his FBI deputy at the time, Andrew McCabe.
What has Trump said about Comey?
The president urged his attorney general last weekend to aggressively pursue some of his opponents, naming James Comey among them. The timing of the charges has led critics to suggest that Trump may be using the justice department for political gain. After news of the indictment, Trump posted that Comey is 'one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to'.
What happens next?
Mr. Comey will appear in court for an arraignment on 9 October where the charges will be read to him, and he will enter a plea. The case will then proceed to trial. Trump has suggested that further charges could be on the way for other political figures, focusing on Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized these actions as a 'disgraceful attack on the rule of law.'
