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Written by: A. Smith
Published September 26, 2025 @ 10:23 AM ET
ATLANTA – Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted on two federal charges, making false statements and obstruction of justice, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Prosecutors said the indictment accuses Comey of obstructing a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1505. It also alleges Comey violated 18 U.S.C. § 1001 by making a false statement when he testified that he had not authorized anyone at the FBI to act as an anonymous source.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the charges reflect the department’s effort to ensure accountability.
“No one is above the law,” Bondi said. “Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
Comey, who was dismissed by then-President Donald Trump in 2017, responded in a video posted to social media.
“I’m innocent, and let’s have a trial,” Comey said. “There are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way.”
The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia, which is now led by U.S. Attorney Lindsay Halligan, a former Trump attorney who replaced Erik Siebert. Sources have said Siebert expressed concerns about pursuing prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents. Halligan does not have prior experience as a federal prosecutor.
The announcement came shortly after Trump publicly urged Bondi to pursue charges against Comey and other critics. In a Truth Social post over the weekend, Trump singled out Comey by name and called for action. The next day, he criticized the department for not moving faster and said he would nominate Halligan for the Virginia post. Trump later praised the indictment in an online post, calling it “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!”
Comey has frequently been a focus of Trump’s criticism, particularly for his role in opening the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That probe, overseen by special counsel Robert Mueller, did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia but documented extensive contacts and found the campaign welcomed Moscow’s assistance.
Separately, special counsel John Durham investigated potential FBI misconduct during the Russia inquiry. That review led to three criminal cases, including one against an FBI lawyer, but brought no charges against senior officials such as Comey.
The current indictment is unrelated to the Russia investigation. Prosecutors said it centers on Comey’s 2020 Senate testimony, in which he denied authorizing anyone at the FBI to speak anonymously to reporters.
FBI Director Kash Patel defended the bureau’s handling of investigations in a post on X, saying criticism of the FBI was misplaced.
“Career FBI agents, intel analysts, and staff led the investigation into Comey and others. They called the balls and strikes and will continue to do so. The wildly false accusations attacking this FBI for the politicization of law enforcement comes from the same bankrupt media that sold the world on Russia Gate — it’s hypocrisy on steroids,” Patel wrote.