Former FBI Director James Comey
Alex Edelman | AFP | Getty Images
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday morning to federal criminal charges in Virginia that President Donald Trump had sought.
Comey’s plea came as he made his first appearance in the case, where he is accused of making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding during testimony to a Senate committee in 2020.
Comey was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Two federal prosecutors from North Carolina have been assigned to handle Comey’s case, which is seen as a sign that Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, had difficulty getting prosecutors in her own office to work on the case.
Comey, after being indicted in late September, said, “I am not afraid,” in an Instagram video response.
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump,” Comey said in the video.
“But we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t either.”
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
