USA: James Comey, ex-fbi boss, charged with “serious crimes”

The former FBI boss and critic of US President Donald Trump, James Comey, has been charged with “serious crimes”, according to the US Ministry of Justice. A Grand Jury charged the former federal police chief in two points, the ministry said on Thursday (local time) and thus confirmed corresponding US media reports. Trump, who recently publicly asked the Ministry of Justice to legally act against political opponents, welcomed the indictment against his archenemy.

Comey is pursued by criminal law because of “serious violations in connection with the passing on of sensitive information”, it said in the declaration of the Ministry of Justice led by the Trump confidante. The Grand Jury is charged to the former FBI director of hindering an investigation of the congress and having made a false statement.

A Grand Jury is a group of jury who, based on documents from the public prosecutor, decides on an accusation. In the event of a conviction, according to the state prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, which was appointed a few days ago, Comey threatens up to five years in prison.

“Nobody is above the law,” said Bondi shortly after the indictment became known, but without calling Comey by name. Today’s indictment is “the determination of the Ministry of Justice, those who abuse their position of power to deceive the American people”. Bondi announced that the public prosecutor’s office would “stick to the facts in this case”.

Trump had recently publicly asked the Ministry of Justice to legally act against certain political opponents. Politicians of the Democratic Party had suspended him twice an office and put him on trial five times. This was “for no reason”, the President wrote on Saturday on his online platform Truth Social. “Justice must now be manufactured,” he said.

In his online message, Trump was particularly important to the Democratic Senator Adam Schiff from California and the New York prosecutor Letitia James, who also belongs to the Democratic Party. In the past few years, ship like James has been involved in investigations into Trump, in which the Republican sees a politically motivated “witch hunt” against himself.

Trump welcomed the indictment against Comey on Thursday as “justice in America”. Trump wrote at Truth: “James Comey, the former corrupt head of the FBI, is one of the worst people to whom this country has ever been exposed.”

Comey determined in Trump’s election campaign for Russia in 2017 and was then released. Among other things, Trump accuses Comey of having lied to the congress.

Comey headed the FBI under President Barack Obama from the US Democrats from September 2013 until his dismissal by Trump in May 2017. From 2003 to 2005, the lawyer Comey was also deputy minister of Justice under the Republican George W. Bush. He has commented critically about Trump several times.

The indictment against Comey was levied by Trump, who was only a few days ago, Lindsey Halligan. She explained that the Comey violated violations would be related to “his oral statement in front of a committee of the US Senate on September 30, 2020”. The charges were “an extraordinary abuse of the public trust”.

So far, the lawyer has worked in the White House and has no experience as a prosecutor. She succeeded Erik Siebert, the prosecutor for the eastern district of the state of Virginia.

Siebert had resigned under the pressure from Trump. He had refused to investigate the Trump opponents. According to “Washington Post”, he rejected the initiation of a procedure against Comey as well as James because there was not enough evidence of this.

For his part, Trump briefly bragged out to have released Siebert. “He didn’t resign, I released him,” he said.