Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday on charges of making a false statement and obstruction tied to his 2020 Senate testimony, according to federal prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan of the Eastern District of Virginia announced the grand jury action, saying the case concerns the duty of executive officials to provide forthright facts to congressional oversight. The investigation centers on Comey’s Sept. 30, 2020, appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The indictment follows leadership changes at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where President Donald Trump recently installed Halligan as interim U.S. attorney. Career prosecutors had earlier circulated a memo concluding there was no probable cause, ABC News reported.
If convicted, Comey faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison; however, actual sentences typically fall below the maximum under federal guidelines. Arraignment details were not immediately available.
Comey led the FBI until his dismissal in 2017. He later became a prominent critic of Trump.
Prosecutors said the charges stem from statements he made about the bureau’s handling of the 2016 Russia investigation. The Justice Department moved shortly before the statute of limitations deadline tied to his 2020 testimony.
