James Comey pleads not guilty to charges Trump sought

Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to federal charges sought by President Donald Trump in Virginia on Wednesday morning.

Comey’s plea came during his first appearance in the trial in which he is accused of making false statements and obstructing congressional proceedings during his testimony to a Senate committee in 2020.

Comey was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Alexandria; where defense attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said Comey wanted a jury trial.

Two federal prosecutors from North Carolina have been assigned to handle Comey’s case. That’s seen as a sign that Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is having trouble convincing prosecutors in her office to work on the case.

“I’m not afraid,” Comey said after being indicted in late September. Instagram video response.

“My family and I have known for years that there was a price to pay for opposing Donald Trump,” Comey said in the video.

“But we couldn’t imagine living any other way. We won’t live on our knees, and neither should you.”

Comey, who was fired as FBI director by Trump in 2017, is accused of lying in his testimony in court. Senate Judiciary Committee On September 30, 2020.

That day, Comey denied allowing someone else from the FBI to be used as an anonymous source in reporting on the investigation into Hillary Clinton and her emails while she was the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016.

This is developing news. Check back for updates.