Former FBI director Comey pleads not guilty to federal charges of lying to Congress

Former FBI Director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges of false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

Comey entered his plea via his lawyer Pat Fitzgerald during his arraignment in federal court on Wednesday in Alexandria, Va. The judge on the case set a trial date of Jan. 5, 2026, and Comey is set to be released with no conditions.

“It’s the honor of my life to represent Jim Comey in this matter,” Fitzgerald said at the courthouse, where Comey’s family also attended the arraignment.

The former FBI director, who has long been one of President Trump’s most vocal critics, was indicted last month on two counts stemming from his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020. The Justice Department secured the indictment just days after Trump demanded a faster pace from prosecutors in their investigation against Comey.

The top federal prosecutor in Northern Virginia, Erik Siebert, had cast doubt on the strength of the evidence against Comey.

The Trump administration then replaced Siebert with Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who previously served as a personal attorney for Trump. Halligan, who secured the grand jury indictment against Comey, is bringing in prosecutors from North Carolina to assist on the case.

Comey’s lawyers said they plan to file two batches of motions to dismiss the case, centering on accusations of a vindictive or selective prosecution, and that Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

They may also include allegations of “outrageous conduct” and problems with the grand jury process that indicted Comey last month.

Trump has long railed against Comey, blaming the former FBI leader for the appointment of a special prosecutor who probed contacts between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign through most of the president’s first term in office.