Former FBI Director James Comey — a longtime registered Republican who donated to the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Mitt Romney — is expected to be indicted in the coming days in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to three sources cited by an MSNBC report.
Federal prosecutors are preparing to present evidence to a grand jury, seeking charges that stem from Comey’s Sept. 30, 2020, testimony before Congress. He is accused of providing false statements regarding his role in the unauthorized disclosure of information and what he knew at the time.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department is moving quickly to file charges before the statute of limitations expires next week:
The Justice Department’s maneuvering comes days after Trump publicly questioned why it hadn’t brought cases against several top adversaries, including Comey, and called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to act quickly. Last Friday, the president ousted the U.S. attorney he had appointed earlier this year in the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, who told colleagues he didn’t see a case to bring against Comey. Trump then named one of his former personal attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, in his place.
Other department officials have also privately expressed doubts that there is enough evidence to support criminal charges, and it is unclear if a grand jury will return an indictment. Grand juries almost always return an indictment after prosecutors make a presentation of their case, but there are exceptions, and Trump’s Justice Department has failed to secure charges in at least a handful of cases in recent weeks.
Comey oversaw the initial 2016 investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia that dogged much of the president’s first term. Trump has long viewed him as a nemesis and urged aides to find ways to extract payback. In doing so, he has stretched the bounds of what prosecutors traditionally consider when charging people with crimes.
Comey didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia declined to comment.
Halligan’s appointment, however, has sparked concern among critics who cite her lack of prosecutorial experience.
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Comey may have been a registered Republican at one point, but at the very least he’s a RINO, but more likely a closet Democrat.