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16h ago

Former DOJ and FBI Officials, Scholars Urge Judge to Dismiss Comey Indictment as Vindictive

They say the case moved forward only after a former Trump lawyer took over following reported career refusals.

New York Attorney General Letitia James reacts as she stands outside the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, after she attended a hearing and pleaded not guilty to charges that she defrauded her mortgage lender, in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S., October 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Former FBI Director James Comey is sworn in prior to testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 8, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
James Comey on May 30, 2023 in NYC.

Overview

  • More than 100 former Justice Department officials and a separate group of over 100 former FBI officials filed amicus briefs urging dismissal of the case.
  • Thirteen scholars of democratic backsliding, including Francis Fukuyama, argued the prosecution resembles politicized cases seen in autocracies.
  • The filings contend the charges reflect personal retribution by President Trump and cite his public statements and the role of the newly installed prosecutor.
  • The indictment, signed solely by acting U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump personal lawyer, charges Comey with obstruction and lying to Congress about his 2020 testimony.
  • Comey has pleaded not guilty; the briefs were submitted to U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff as the court considers motions to dismiss on vindictive- and selective-prosecution grounds.