James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a criminal case that has highlighted the Justice Department’s efforts to target adversaries of President Donald Trump, with lawyers for the former FBI director saying they plan to argue the prosecution is politically motivated and should be dismissed. The arraignment lasted less than half an hour, but it was nonetheless loaded with historical significance given that the case has amplified concerns the Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of the Republican president’s political enemies and is operating at the behest of an administration determined to seek retribution. Comey’s not guilty plea to allegations that he lied to Congress five years ago kick-starts a process of legal wrangling that could culminate in a trial months from now at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington. Defense lawyers said they intend to ask that the case be thrown out before trial on grounds that it constitutes a vindictive prosecution and also plan to challenge the legitimacy of the appointment of the prosecutor who filed the charges just days after Trump hastily appointed her to her position. “It’s the honor of my life to represent Mr. Comey in this matter,” one of Comey’s lawyers, Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime friend who served with him in President George W. Bush’s Justice Department, said in court on Wednesday. The indictment two weeks ago followed an extraordinary chain of events that saw the Trump administration effectively force out the prosecutor who had been overseeing the Comey investigation and replace him with Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who previously served as one of the president’s former lawyers but had never served as a federal prosecutor. The president also publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other perceived adversaries. Less than a week after being appointed, Halligan rushed to file charges before a legal deadline lapsed despite warnings from other lawyers in the office that the evidence was insufficient for an indictment. She sat at the prosecution table Wednesday. In a sign of the unusual nature of the case, the two prosecutors who have signed on to handle it are both based in North Carolina as opposed to the elite Eastern District of Virginia, which Halligan now leads. What the indictment says The two-count indictment alleges that Comey misled the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020, when he was asked whether he had authorized any associate to serve as an anonymous source to the news media related to investigations of either Trump or 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Comey replied that he stood by earlier testimony that he had not given such authorization. The two-count indictment charging him with making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding does not identify the associate or say what information may have been discussed with the media, making it challenging to assess the strength of the evidence or to even fully parse the allegations. Comey has denied any wrongdoing and has said he’s looking forward to a trial, which the judge set for Jan. 5, though that date will be subject to change. Though an indictment is typically just the start of a protracted court process, the Justice Department has trumpeted the development itself as something of a win, regardless of the outcome. […]  | Read More The Yeshiva World