Prosecutors defend indictment in Comey case after defense questions
Prosecutors defended how they presented the criminal case against former FBI boss James Comey to a grand jury after defense attorneys said the indictment failed to meet legal standards.
Defense attorneys had not filed a motion to challenge the indictment as of Thursday morning, but made it clear in court Wednesday they didn’t think it would pass scrutiny.
Michael Dreeben, an attorney for Comey, said: “There is no indictment.”
He also said the statute of limitations for the charges expired Sept. 30, making the claimed misstep “tantamount to a complete bar” on the prosecution.
In September, federal prosecutors alleged that Comey lied to Congress when he denied claims that he leaked classified documents to a news outlet over the Trump-Russia election interference hoax investigation. The two-page indictment charged Comey with making false statements to Congress and obstruction of justice related to leaked documents to The New York Times.
In a filing late Wednesday, prosecutors defended their handling of the grand jury.
“The record shows that a duly constituted grand jury considered the presented indictment and returned a true bill as to only Counts Two and Three,” Assistant United States Attorney N. Tyler Lemons wrote. “Considering Gaither and controlling Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit precedent, the government course of conduct here was permissible and proper.”
Comey’s defense also argued that the charges against the former FBI boss were the result of selective or vindictive prosecution. That can be a high bar to prove. President Donald Trump tried the same thing in several of the case filed against him in the run up to the 2024 election. Trump was convicted in New York, but three other cases against him stalled or were dismissed.
U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, a Biden appointee, ordered both sides to provide him with answers to how the case should proceed.
The defense had not responded as of Thursday morning.
Partly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Latest News Stories
Flint Man Charged with 1988 Murder of Wife Joan Bernal Following Cold Case Breakthrough
Beecher School Board Approves 2025 Tax Levy; Rate Projected to Drop
Chief Lemming Retires from Beecher Police Department
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Beecher Public Library District for Nov. 2025
Everyday Economics: Why this week’s labor data matters more than the headlines
Costly refugee funding on the table as they rake in over a dozen taxpayer benefits
IL U.S. Senate candidates differ on Affordable Care Act tax credits
Protesters mobilize in wake of Maduro capture
Pritzker: Trump’s military action in Venezuela is ‘unconstitutional’
Bipartisan lawmakers slam U.S. takeover of Venezuela
Homer Glen Man Charged with Reckless Discharge, Battery to Deputy Following Standoff
WATCH: Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela for foreseeable future
