Former FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty to indictment

Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday to allegedly making false statements and obstructing a congressional hearing during his first appearance in Virginia on Wednesday.

The former FBI director made his first court appearance at 10 a.m. ET in the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria, Va. Comey’s wife, Patrice, and daughter, Maureen, were seen in line outside the courthouse Wednesday morning.

District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, presided over the hearing.

Comey indicted for alleged false statements, obstruction of congressional proceedings

Patrice, wife of former FBI Director James Comey, is adopted by her daughter, Maurene Comey, as they arrive at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District at the Bryan Courthouse of Virginia on October 8, 2025, in Alexandria, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Comey was indicted in September by a federal grand jury on two counts: allegedly making false statements within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a Congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505.

The indictment also alleges that Comey made a false statement when he said he had not authorized someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, this statement was false.

Fox News Digital reported exclusively in July that Comey was under criminal investigation by the FBI. The investigation into Comey has focused on whether he lied to Congress during his Sept. 30, 2020, testimony about his handling of the original Trump-Russia probe at the FBI, known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

"No one is above the law," Attorney General Pam Bondi said on x After the indictment, adding that it “reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for deceiving the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”

Former FBI Director James Comey is seen during a hearing on Capitol Hill in 2017. (The Associated Press)

Comey denies accusations, says ‘I’m not afraid’

FBI Director Kash Patel said “prior corrupt leadership and their enablers have weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging proud institutions and seriously eroding public trust.”

“Every day we continue the fight to earn that trust, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head on,” Patel said. “Nowhere has this politicization of law enforcement been more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a shameful chapter in history that we continue to investigate and expose.”

He added: “Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter where they perch.”

Comey, after being charged, posted an Instagram video, denying the allegations.

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to resisting Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine living any other way,” he said. “We won’t live on our knees, and neither should you. Someone I love very recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right.”

“But I’m not afraid,” Comey added.

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great faith in the federal justice system and I am innocent, so let’s go to trial and keep the faith,” Comey said.

Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan is under criminal investigation related to the Trump – Russia investigation.

Under federal law, prosecutors have five years to file charges, with the five-year mark on Tuesday.

Trump says Comey ‘placed a cloud over the entire nation’ with Crossfire Hurricane, reacts to indictment

The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The FBI opened its Trump-Russia investigation in July 2016, known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Robert Mueller, former special advisor to the US Department of Justice. (AP Newsroom; Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times)

President Donald Trump, in his first term, fired Comey in May 2017.

Days later, Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel to take over the original FBI “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation.

After nearly two years, former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, has yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.

Shortly thereafter, John Durham was appointed special advisor to investigate the origins of the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe.

Exclusive: FBI Launches Criminal Investigations into John Brennan, James Comey: DOJ Sources

Durham found that the FBI “failed to act” on a “clear warning sign” that the bureau was “the target” of a Clinton-led effort to “manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes” before the 2016 presidential election.

Fox News Digital broke a series of stories related to special counsel John Durham’s findings. (Julia Nikhinson/Reuters)

“The above facts reflect a rather surprising and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate Clinton Plan Intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire hurricane investigation,” Durham’s report states.

“Indeed, if the FBI had opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, collected and analyzed data in concert with Clinton Plan Intelligence information, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye,” the report continued.

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Durham, in his report, said the FBI “failed to act on what should have been — when combined with other indisputable facts — a clear warning sign that the FBI could then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.”