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Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges sought by President Donald Trump, marking a dramatic escalation in the president’s campaign to punish former officials tied to the Russia investigation.
It was Comey’s first appearance as a criminal defendant in a case that has rattled the Justice Department and reignited fears that Trump is using prosecutions to target his political enemies. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff set a Jan. 5, 2026, trial date after a brief 30-minute arraignment.
Comey faces two felony counts tied to his 2020 Senate testimony about the FBI’s handling of the Russia probe. The charges were approved by a grand jury in Alexandria and brought by Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal attorney who was appointed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia just weeks ago. Her appointment followed resistance from career Justice Department lawyers who declined to file the case.
Nachmanoff, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, presided over the arraignment. Comey’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered a not guilty plea and told reporters afterward that the defense will move to dismiss the case as a “vindictive and selective prosecution.”
“The cart has been placed before the horse,” Fitzgerald told the judge, accusing prosecutors of rushing the indictment for political reasons. He also said Halligan should be disqualified due to her appointment circumstances, which he called “improper and tainted.”
Halligan, whose background is in insurance law, sat silently as two relatively inexperienced prosecutors from North Carolina handled the government’s arguments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons acknowledged that he joined the case only Tuesday and that the government was “just getting [its] hands around” the large volume of classified material tied to the case.
Nachmanoff pushed back, saying he saw “no reason” discovery issues should delay the trial. “This does not appear to me to be an overly complicated case,” the judge said.
The defense said it has yet to receive any discovery materials, including the identities of two people cited in the indictment under pseudonyms. “We still don’t know who Person 1 or Person 3 is,” Fitzgerald said.
The judge ordered both sides to move quickly and urged the government to consider declassifying any evidence it intends to use at trial.
Comey appeared stoic throughout the hearing, standing with hands clasped as the judge addressed him. He was released on his own recognizance. Members of his family, including his daughter Maurene and son-in-law Troy Edwards — both former federal prosecutors — attended the proceeding.
Outside the rain-soaked courthouse, a chaotic scene unfolded. Former Trump officials, MAGA influencers and media swarmed the plaza, evoking memories of Paul Manafort’s 2018 trial in the same building. Among those present were former DHS chief of staff Miles Taylor, pro-Trump activist Ivan Raiklin, and pardoned Jan. 6 defendant Dominic Box.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has insisted the prosecution is legitimate, calling it the product of “one of the most liberal grand juries in the country.” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Fox News that Comey is “being treated exactly like every other individual in his position.”
Comey has maintained that the charges are baseless and politically motivated. In a video statement after his indictment, he said, “I expect to be vindicated at a speedy trial — and the truth will speak for itself.”
