Indicted ex-FBI chief vows innocence, 'blames' Trump

Indicted former FBI chief James Comey declared his innocence on Thursday and said he was ready to face the criminal charges against him.

"My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn't imagine living any other way," he said in a video posted to Instagram.

"I'm not afraid, and I hope you're not either," he said.

Former FBI Director was indicted on Wednesday on allegations of obstruction and making a false statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 related to Comey's testimony about Russian interference during the 2016 US presidential election, in which Trump won his first term in office.

The move from the US Justice Department (DOJ) comes just days after President Trump issued a public demand for the DOJ to act "now" to bring charges against Comey.

"No one is above the law," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

"Today's indictment reflects this Department of Justice's commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case."

The indictment against Comey comes in the wake of Trump ousting the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Seibert, who, according to sources from media reports, had expressed doubts internally about bringing charges against Comey, as well as New York Attorney General Letitia James, after Trump appointed Seibert to lead the office.

‘Justice in US’

The president hailed the indictment of Comey.

"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," Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.

"Today, he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. 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."

The current charges against Comey are the most dramatic so far in what critics have described as a campaign of retribution by Trump to use the powers of the federal government to enact revenge against his political enemies.

Comey was fired by Trump during his first term in office over the investigation into the president's 2016 campaign and its ties to Russia. Comey has been a vocal critic of what he says are Trump's efforts to politicise the justice system.

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Source: TRT