USA Charges against ex-FBI chief - US government comes under pressure
In the case of the indictment against Trump opponent James Comey, the US government itself is coming under scrutiny due to suspicions of possible misconduct. A court in Virginia ordered that the defense of the former FBI chief be given access to documents from the so-called grand jury - in the US, this is a group of citizens who determine whether they believe there is sufficient evidence from the investigation to bring charges.
17.11.2025, 21:34
SDA
If the suspicion of misconduct is substantiated, the court states that one or more charges could be dropped. The Comey indictment is also attracting a lot of attention because critics see it as a possible example of how pressure is exerted on opponents of US President Donald Trump and unpopular individuals.
According to the court, the inspection of files is a highly unusual step. "However, the documents point to a disturbing pattern of serious investigative errors," argued Judge William Fitzpatrick. He also explicitly pointed out in justifying the move that government misconduct may have affected the grand jury's work. For example, there are alleged to have been errors surrounding searches by investigators.
Indictment against Comey followed Trump's pressure on the judiciary
The charges against Comey for making false statements, among other things, were brought at the end of September following massive pressure from Trump on the judiciary. The Department of Justice announced at the time that the 64-year-old was also accused of obstructing a congressional investigation.
The indictment came just a few days after Trump had urged his Attorney General Pam Bondi via social media to take action against people he considered enemies. The president complained that there was a lot of talk but no action - and explicitly named Comey.
Comey was appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by then US President Barack Obama in 2013. During Trump's first term in office, he led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections and possible links between Moscow and members of Trump's campaign team. In 2017, Comey was dismissed by Trump in connection with the then ongoing investigation.
In an initial hearing, the former FBI chief pleaded not guilty according to US media.
