BREAKING: Former FBI Director James Comey Indicted

Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted on two of three federal charges brought before a grand jury, one for making false statements to Congress and another for obstruction of justice.

The indictment comes a little over 24 hours after MSNBC reported that an indictment into the former director was imminent. The FBI had been investigating whether he made false statements to congress as part of the bogus Russian collusion investigation on September, 30, 2020, as well as a sprawling conspiracy investigation relating to the investigation.

Federal prosecutors with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which is running the Comey investigation, would have needed to secure an indictment on the perjury charge by Tuesday in order to remain within the five year statute of limitations on perjury crimes.

“No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people,” Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in an X post. “We will follow the facts in this case.”

“Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability. For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose. ”

“Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch,” he continued. “No one is above the law.”

The actual indictment has not yet been posted on the docket as of this report.

Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley speculated that the obstruction charge, which he called “intriguing,” could stem from a response he gave to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) during the September 30 hearing. The former director claimed that he had never authorized anyone within the FBI to leak classified material under “anonymous” sourcing to media outlets like the New York Times.

This contradicts a 2017 document from then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who said Comey instructed the bureau to assist the New York Times with an April 2017 article.

Investigations into Comey, as well as former CIA Director John Brennan, stem from the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, which probed the extent of Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election.

Earlier this year, CIA Director Ratcliffe declassified a “lessons learned” review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which alleged that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in order to benefit then-candidate Donald Trump. President Trump’s first term was largely hamstrung by the investigation, which concluded with Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluding that there was “no evidence” to support the idea of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.

Upon a review of the process behind the ICA, CIA officials determined that it was rushed with “procedural anomalies,” and that it deviated from intelligence standards.

It also determined that the “decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.”

The infamous Steele dossier — which included a number of unverified, unsourced claims about President Trump and was funded by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC — served as the basis for the Russian collusion probe. It has since been thoroughly discredited.

Records declassified as part of the review revealed that Brennan himself pushed for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA. Brennan, however, testified before the House Judiciary Committee in May 2023 that the dossier should not be included in the intelligence report.

Comey has not yet responded to the indictment. He is expected to plead not guilty, as the former director has claimed his testimony was truthful.