Former FBI Director James Comey says he is innocent of criminal charges following his indictment by a United States court for allegedly making false statements and obstruction of justice.
“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,” Comey said in a video posted on Instagram on Thursday evening in the US.
The charges against Comey stem from his 2020 statement to the US Senate Judiciary Committee that he did not authorise the FBI to leak information about an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017 until he was fired by Trump shortly into his first term in office.
Since then, he has become a well-known critic of the US President.
Trump wrote a celebratory post on Truth Social following news of the ex-FBI chief’s indictment.
“JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Trump wrote on Thursday evening in the US.
“One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI,” the US President wrote.
The charges against Comey mark the first time that Trump has secured an indictment against one of his many high-profile critics.
On Saturday, Trump urged US Attorney General Pam Bondi to level charges against Comey as well as California Senator Adam B Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James in a post on Truth Social.
The post Ex-FBI Director Comey says he is ‘innocent’ after US court indictment appeared first on Al Jazeera.
