Former FBI Director James Comey just got slapped with an indictment that’s got the Department of Justice buzzing like a kicked hornet’s nest.
The Independent reported that this bombshell dropped on a Thursday in September 2025, charging Comey with making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding over his testimony about a 2016 Wall Street Journal article tied to the Hillary Clinton probe.
Let’s rewind to the basics: Comey led the FBI from 2013 until 2017, when President Donald Trump gave him the boot, setting off a firestorm of controversy.
The current charges hinge on whether Comey authorized a leak to the press about the Clinton investigation—a claim he’s denied from the start. If convicted, he’s staring down a potential five-year prison sentence.
Back in 2017, Comey told Congress he didn’t greenlight any leaks to the Wall Street Journal regarding the Clinton probe.
But a 2018 Inspector General report threw a wrench into that narrative, revealing that then-deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe admitted to authorizing the leak and claimed Comey “accepted it.” McCabe, by the way, got fired in 2018 just before retirement, accused of lacking candor in his own statements.
Fast forward to 2020, and Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz grilled Comey on this discrepancy during a congressional hearing. Cruz pointedly asked, “Who's telling the truth?”—a question that still hangs heavy over this saga.
Comey’s response was unwavering: “I stand by the testimony… I gave in May of 2017.” That testimony, though, is now the crux of an indictment that some inside the DOJ are calling a travesty.
Just days before the indictment, President Trump took to Truth Social, urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after his political adversaries with a fiery “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
The timing couldn’t be more suspicious, especially since Trump later suggested to reporters this was part of a broader revenge operation. While conservatives might cheer a long-overdue reckoning, the optics of a president directing prosecutions are hard to ignore.
Bondi, for her part, defended the move, stating, “The indictment reflects the DOJ’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable.”
Fair enough, but when DOJ insiders whisper to MSNBC that this is “among the worst abuses in DOJ history,” one has to wonder if the department’s mission is being hijacked by political grudges.
Adding fuel to the fire, the indictment came hot on the heels of U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert’s resignation from the Eastern District of Virginia. Trump openly admitted he wanted Siebert “out” due to support from Virginia’s Democratic senators—a not-so-subtle reminder of how personal this administration can get.
Critics argue this is less about justice and more about settling scores, especially given Trump’s public musings about additional charges against other foes like New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Yet, investigators found no evidence to support mortgage fraud allegations against James, despite apparent pressure from above. This raises a thorny question: where’s the line between accountability and vendetta?
Comey, undeterred, has stood his ground, denying any wrongdoing and framing this as the price of opposing Trump. His resolve is admirable, even if one disagrees with his past actions at the FBI.
Meanwhile, Trump’s rhetoric post-indictment—claiming “they went after me for four years”—suggests this is as much about personal vindication as it is about policy.
Conservatives might argue it’s high time the tables turned on those who weaponized federal power against him. Still, the precedent of presidential meddling in prosecutions is a slippery slope.
Inside the DOJ, morale seems to be cratering, with anonymous staffers decrying the Comey case as a historic low point. The Justice Department itself stayed mum when pressed by The Independent, which only deepens the sense of unease. For an agency that prides itself on impartiality, this kind of internal revolt speaks volumes.