A federal grand jury has charged former FBI Director James Comey, with the decision coming shortly after President Trump called for legal action against him. This indictment, issued on Thursday, targets a prominent adversary of the current administration.

Comey faces charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding, related to his testimony before the Senate in 2020.

The indictment makes Comey the first of Trump’s many perceived political enemies to face charges.

Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the justice system’s dedication to accountability with a statement on X, stressing that no one is exempt from the law. Although her remarks did not specifically name Comey, they seemingly referenced the charges filed against him.

Should Comey be found guilty, he could receive a maximum sentence of five years in prison, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which is handling the prosecution. His arraignment is scheduled for October 9.

Nonetheless, court documents reveal a divide in the grand jury’s opinion, as they chose not to indict Comey on a charge concerning his knowledge of a potential “plan” to use allegations of Trump-Russia election interference to distract from prior controversies involving private emails. Comey’s response to this question was, “That doesn’t ring any bells.”

The former FBI director posted a video contesting that he did anything unlawful.

“I’m disheartened by the Department of Justice’s actions, but I have strong faith in the federal courts. I am innocent, and I look forward to my day in court,” Comey responded.

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.” 

His attorney, Patrick Fitagerald, also denied all allegations in the indictment.

“Jim Comey denies the charges filed today in their entirety. We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom,” he said in a statement.

According to the indictment, Comey obstructed Congress by lying to a Senate panel during his 2020 appearance for questioning on investigations into Trump in 2016.

“Comey stated that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment that statement was false,” the Justice Department said in a late Thursday press release.

Trump took to his social media platform over the weekend to issue a direct call to Bondi for an indictment of Comey, alongside other perceived political enemies of the president.

Trump immediately cheered the decision.

“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,” he wrote on his social media site.

Trump’s weekend pressure campaign on Bondi came after Erik Seibert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, stepped down rather than bring charges against another Trump adversary, New York Attorney General Letitia James, reportedly finding there was not enough evidence in the case to support allegations of mortgage fraud.

Siebert was also overseeing the Comey case, which was then also handed over to Lindsey Halligan, who was tapped as an interim replacement. Halligan, a White House staffer who practiced insurance law before she joined his criminal defense team in 2022, has never tried a federal case. Her signature is listed on the indictment for Comey.

Thursday’s indictment quickly set off alarm bells among Democrats and other Trump critics who slammed the move as a politically motivated effort to go after the president’s enemies.

“Today, after firing his own choice for U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Donald Trump finally got a subservient new replacement to carry out his revenge prosecution against former FBI Director James Comey by bringing baseless criminal charges against him,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement, adding that the American justice system was “supposed to replace vendettas.”

“But Trump refuses to allow the facts or the law to stand in the way of his wrath and vengeance campaign….I have no doubt that a jury of his peers will acquit and vindicate Mr. Comey after being afforded the opportunity to hear all the relevant evidence. But, until that happens, Mr. Comey will be forced to spend time, money, and energy defending himself against this blatantly fraudulent and vindictive indictment.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to turn our justice system into a weapon for punishing and silencing his critics.”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called Comey’s indictment “one of the most sickening abuses of power in the history of the DOJ.”

“Trump is using every tool available to get vengeance on his political rivals. It’s corruption plain and simple— our country deserves better,” Himes posted on X.

Trump has long called for charges against Comey, whom he blames for the investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia in the 2016 contest — something he has deemed a “witch hunt.”

Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017 while the bureau’s investigation was still ongoing, leading to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump and Comey have had an adversarial relationship ever since, with Trump calling Comey a “dirty cop” and said he and other FBI leaders were “scum.”

The president earlier this year alleged an Instagram post from Comey that featured seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “8647” was a call for his assassination. Stemming from the hospitality industry, “86” can refer to either the need to cut off a client or unlist a menu item.

Comey, who earned the ire of Democrats in 2016 with his handling of an investigation into then-candidate Hillary Clinton’s email server, endorsed former President Biden in the 2020 election and backed former Vice President Harris in the 2024 race against Trump.

The focus on Comey stems from his congressional testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, with the charges coming just days ahead of the five-year statute of limitations on such matters.

During that hearing, Comey was asked about whether he ever authorized leaks about the investigation into Trump — something the director denied.

FBI Director Kash Patel, who worked on a review of the 2016 investigation as a staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, said Comey’s conduct reflected “previous corrupt leadership and their enablers [who] weaponized federal law enforcement.”

“Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose,” he wrote in a post on X that likewise did not name Comey.

“Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch.” 

FBI Director Kash Patel, who worked on a review of the 2016 investigation as a staffer on the House Intelligence Committee, said Comey’s conduct reflected “previous corrupt leadership and their enablers [who] weaponized federal law enforcement.”

While he initially retained Comey as FBI director, Trump later removed him from his post in 2019.

Beyond the actions against Comey, the Justice Department also fired his daughter, Maurene Comey, a highly respected prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. The younger Comey has since sued, alleging her firing was in part carried out due to her connection to her father.

Updated at 9:05 p.m. EDT

Ella Lee contributed to this story.