BREAKING: Comey Enters Plea on Perjury, Obstruction Charges

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the two criminal charges he faces for allegedly lying to Congress.

Comey was indicted Sept. 25 for making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

But in his arraignment Wednesday, Comey pleaded not guilty to both charges and requested a jury trial, which has been scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026. The government says it expects the trial to take 2-3 days.

Comey is represented by former federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who is known for being the first to bring charges against Osama bin Laden in 1996.

The charges against Comey concern his 2020 testimony before Congress on the investigation into alleged Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 election. Comey briefly headed that investigation during his tenure as FBI director before President Donald Trump fired him in May 2017.

In his testimony, Comey asserted that he had not authorized the leak of information on the investigation to the media—a claim the Department of Justice alleges was false.

On Wednesday, Comey’s attorneys said they’re seeking to have the case dismissed because of “grand jury abuse” and “outrageous government conduct.”

They also plan to file a motion arguing that Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney overseeing the case, was unlawfully appointed. Halligan, a former White House aide, was appointed by Trump to take over the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia last month.

Comey’s arraignment was originally scheduled for Thursday, but District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff on Monday ordered the proceeding moved a day earlier to “ensure the security of the Court, the parties, and the public.” No electronic devices or cameras were allowed in the courtroom.

Nachmanoff, a Biden appointee, was randomly assigned to Comey’s case following the former director’s indictment. But Trump expressed his doubts as to whether Nachmanoff could fairly hear the case, writing on Truth Social that “Corrupt James Comey” had been “assigned a Crooked Joe Biden-appointed Judge.”