Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 9-Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint against James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for "making false statements to Congress and obstructing judicial investigation". On October 8th, local time, Komi was arraigned in Virginia and pleaded not guilty. Komi was responsible for investigating whether Trump's campaign team conspired with Russia to interfere in the US election, that is, "TongRumen".
Or face five years in prison
According to foreign media reports, Comey made a brief speech on the 8th in the federal court in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, which lasted less than half an hour.
Comey's lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald filed an innocence claim to the judge. Fitzgerald also said he intended to file a motion seeking to dismiss the case on the grounds that the prosecution against Comey was "retaliatory."
The judge set January 5 next year as the verdict date for this case. If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.
Earlier, Comey posted a video on social media denying the charges against him, saying: “For years, both I and my family knew that it would cost us to dare against Trump... We won’t live on our knees.”
Feud with Trump
Comey, who served as FBI director from 2013 to 2017, was fired during Trump's first term as president for investigating the 2016 "Russia Gate".
The allegations against Comey originated from his testimony at the U.S. Senate Justice Committee hearing in September 2020. At the time, Comey insisted in questioning that he had never been authorized to leak information to the media about Trump’s “Russian Door” investigation. And according to a 2018 report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Comey’s deputy deputy Andrew McCabe said Comey had authorized him to leak information to the media.
Pictures are printed by U.S. President Trump (left) and former FBI Director James Comey (right).
On September 20, Trump publicly called on the Justice Department to take action against Comey and others.After Comey's prosecution, Trump celebrated four consecutive posts on social media calling Comey a "dirty policeman" and a "dirty little guy."Justice Minister Pam Bondy said Comey's prosecution "reflects the Justice Department's commitment to pursue those who abuse power and mislead the American people."
The FBI has repeatedly investigated Trump, including the "Russia Gate" investigation, the 2021 congressional mountain riots investigation, the 2022 Sea Lake estate "cryptic wave" case, etc. Trump said it suffered "unfair investigation".
According to the Associated Press, since Trump returned to the White House in January this year, the U.S. Department of Justice has launched investigations or lawsuits against several of Trump's political enemies. Analysts pointed out that since regaining control of the White House, the Trump administration has pushed a series of policies, showing its intention to "weaponize" administrative power, triggering a large number of judicial proceedings, and highlighting that the judicial field has also become an important battlefield for party struggles.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Author: He Mengshu, Xiong Maoling