The US president demanded that his greatest enemies be charged. Lindsey Halligan, Trump's former personal lawyer and specially appointed prosecutor, hastily prepared the indictment — just before the statute of limitations expires next week.
Comey is the first high-profile Trump opponent to actually go on trial [w czwartek 9 października po to, by formalnie przedstawić mu zarzuty]. Thus, the politicization of the justice system in the US has reached a new peak. Even if experts believe the charges are so fabricated due to lack of sufficient evidence that the indictment could be thrown out before the trial begins in January, Thursday morning sends a significant signal.
Protesters outside a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, during the hearing of FBI Director James Comey, U.S., October 8, 2025.PAP/EPA/LUKE JOHNSON / PAP
Just nine years ago, Comey was among the people Trump liked. The then-FBI director played an important role in the 2016 election campaign and, Democrats say, had a decisive influence on Trump's victory.
An important topic at that time was the case of Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server where she stored confidential correspondence, which was then partially lost.
Former FBI Director James Comey speaks by videoconference as part of a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2020.STEFANI REYNOLDS / POOL / PAP
Two weeks before that election, Comey made headlines by announcing that the FBI would reopen its investigation into Clinton as new material emerged. This news caused a huge stir. Clinton's lead in national polls has shrunk from six percentage points to just three percentage points.
Trump was aware of this effect when he welcomed Comey to the White House after his inauguration in January 2017. “Oh, there's James Comey,” he said to a room full of people and asked Comey to approach him from across the room. “He's more famous than me,” he added, referring to the Clinton investigation. Comey later described the scene as “hard to bear” because the FBI director had previously been considered independent of the executive branch.
However, Trump's sympathy for Comey did not last long. The FBI soon began investigating the extent of Russia's interference in the election. During a private dinner, Trump allegedly demanded Comey's loyalty, but he refused. “You'll get your honesty,” Comey said, according to a memo he took about that evening. Shortly thereafter, Trump asked him to spare his then-security adviser Mike Flynn from an investigation into Russian interference in the election campaign. Comey also refused.
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Trump's biggest enemies
In May, Trump fired the head of the FBI, prompting the appointment of special investigator Robert Mueller, whose investigation has cast a shadow over his entire tenure. Since then, Comey has been added to Trump's worst-enemy list of all those who opposed him. They include California's Democratic senator Adam Schiff, who played a leading role in the first impeachment proceedings, and Letitia James. She is a New York prosecutor who won a fraud case against the Trump Organization, resulting in a $450 million fine. [1 mld 654 mln zł].
In mid-September, the president called on his attorney general, Pam Bondi, via Truth Social to bring charges against all three people. “Everyone is guilty as hell, but nothing happens.” Earlier, the prosecutor who was supposed to indict James had resigned. In his opinion, the evidence was insufficient. So Trump appointed his personal lawyer, Lindsey Halligan.
She dealt with Comey first because time was pressing. The Justice Department now alleges that he made false statements during a 2020 hearing under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The statute of limitations would expire next week. Legal experts call the allegations fabricated because they are based on statements by Comey's then-deputy, Andrew McCabe, who has been known to make numerous misleading statements in the past.
Last week, Comey spoke out in a video posted to Instagram. “We won't bend. And neither should you,” he said. “Fear is a tyrant's tool,” Comey said, expressing confidence in the justice of the courts. While the former FBI chief is a prominent victim of Trump's revenge and can defend himself against it, others may not be able to do so.
The president's list of enemies includes not only politicians like Schiff, but also former Department of Homeland Security employee Miles Taylor, who in September 2018 wrote a high-profile anonymous guest op-ed in the New York Times titled “I'm Part of the Resistance in the Trump Administration.” Unlike Comey, someone like him has fewer resources to fight a legal battle. So impeachment could be intimidating to anyone who has opposed Trump in the past or is considering doing so.
“Systematic abuse of judicial authorities”
Democrats accuse Trump of instrumentalizing the justice system. Trump and Bondi are committing a “systematic abuse of the judicial system” to persecute their opponents, Sen. Dick Durbin said during Tuesday's attorney general hearing. In doing so, they are doing exactly what they have always accused Joe Biden of doing.
This argument is being reversed in the White House. “Wait a minute,” an emotional Peter Navarro said Tuesday night when asked about the issue. A Trump adviser stands outside the West Wing and waves his new book. It's called “I went to jail so you wouldn't have to.” This is proof enough that it was the Democrats who took advantage of the justice system. Navarro was sentenced in 2021 to four months in prison for ignoring a congressional subpoena for a hearing on the storming of the Capitol on January 6 that same year.
Trump thinks so too. “They wanted to remove me from office twice and accused me five times of nothing,” he wrote on Truth Social, adding: “Justice must be served.” Shortly thereafter, he announced that more charges would be forthcoming.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
