Fox News analyst Howard Kurtz blasted Donald Trump over the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, accusing the president of engineering the charges for political revenge.
“Let’s not mince words here, I say this as a former Justice Department reporter, this was completely and totally orchestrated by President Trump,” Fox News contributor and former Daily Beast columnist Kurtz said on Special Report Thursday.
The clash over the targeting of political enemies comes as the administration is also accused of curtailing the free speech of opponents in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination.
The Department of Justice announced Thursday that Comey has been charged with obstructing a congressional investigation and making false statements.
Comey was indicted after Trump called on the country’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Pam Bondi, to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries.
“He says he’s leaving it to Justice, but you know, he’s very much out in the open. Remember, he fired his own appointee as U.S. attorney in that part of Virginia because he didn’t think there was enough evidence to bring this case, brought in a White House aide, his former defense lawyer, whose job was to get this done, and apparently that has worked,” said Kurtz.
Kurtz, 71, was axed as MediaBuzz host at Fox News after 12 years at the channel, following Trump’s demand for him to retire. He warned that Trump was normalizing behavior that would once have sparked outrage.
“I think we’ve become inured to this,” Kurtz added. “But in previous administrations, any hint of contact with a criminal case would be a scandal on its own, and so President Trump, by the way he pulled the strings, has gotten his way with this initial indictment.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Comey’s case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, a 2021 appointee of former President Joe Biden. His arraignment is set for Oct. 9.
Comey stands accused of lying to Congress during a September 2020 testimony about the Russia investigation over whether he authorized the leak of classified information to the media.
Bondi said in a statement Thursday, “No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people.”
Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the news after the indictment was announced.
“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 Truth Social. “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 said in a video message posted to Instagram that he’s “innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”
“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,” Comey said. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”
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