James Comey was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.
The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances, the long-concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.
Comey, in a video he posted after his indictment, said: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial.”
Other news we’re following:
- New import taxes: Trump said Thursday that he will put import taxes of 100% on pharmaceutical drugs, 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture and 25% on heavy trucks starting on Oct. 1. While he did not provide a legal justification, he said that the taxes were needed “for National Security and other reasons.”
- Trump orders crackdown on ‘domestic terrorists’: Trump is directing his administration to crack down on backers of what it described as “left-wing terrorism,” naming two top Democratic donors as he alleged without evidence a vast conspiracy to finance violent protests against the government.
- Chair of House committee on China demands briefing on TikTok deal: In a statement released Friday, Rep. John Moolenaar, the chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, praised the proposed deal as “an important step” in transitioning ownership of the TikTok platform to American hands, but he emphasized that “divestment was not the law’s only requirement.”
