A federal grand jury in the state of Virginia, USA, has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on two charges related to his testimony before Congress.
Comey, who has long been criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump, is accused of lying to Congress during his September 2020 testimony about whether he had authorized the leak of classified information to the media.
Responding to the indictment, Comey pleaded not guilty and said he had “great confidence in the federal judicial system,” BBC reports, as cited by Sinjali.
The indictment comes just days after Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to more aggressively investigate his political opponents, including Comey. The investigation is being led by Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney.
The first court hearing for Comey—where the charges will be formally read—is scheduled for the morning of October 9 in Alexandria, Virginia, at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT), according to CBS, BBC’s U.S. partner.
Bondi said in a statement that the indictment “reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who abuse positions of power by deceiving the American people.”
Comey faces one count of making false statements and another of obstruction of justice.
The Justice Department had requested the grand jury to review three charges against Comey, but it determined that only two had sufficient evidence to move forward. The third was another false statements charge.
