Prosecutors are expected to ask a grand jury to indict former FBI Director James Comey in the Eastern District of Virginia in the coming days, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
The exact charges remained unclear, and it was uncertain whether the grand jury would return an indictment against one of Trump's longtime political antagonists.
Comey served as FBI director from 2013 until Trump fired him in 2017, and Trump has since regularly assailed Comey's handling of the FBI probe into contact between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government.
Any charges against Comey would mark the starkest example of the Trump administration using its law enforcement authority against a prominent critic - after the president promised retribution in his election campaign.
One of the sources said some prosecutors within the Eastern District of Virginia have presented new U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan with a memo explaining why charges should not be filed, saying the case lacked evidence to show probable cause that a crime was committed.
A representative for Comey declined to comment.
Trump, in a social media post on Saturday (20 September), urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to bring charges against Comey and other political rivals of Trump, including U.S. Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump chided Bondi for not moving fast enough to bring criminal charges against his most prominent antagonists, saying “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW.”
At least one of the potential charges being considered would accuse Comey of lying to Congress during his testimony in 2020. The statute of limitations to bring charges against Comey in connection with that testimony would expire on Tuesday.
Since Trump returned to power in January, the Justice Department has been examining Comey's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, when he addressed Republican criticisms of the Russia investigation and denied he had authorised disclosures of sensitive information to the media.
The previous U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, resigned on 19 September after Trump called for him to be removed.
Siebert, who had overseen the investigation into Comey, expressed doubts about the evidence against Comey and another Trump adversary, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Reuters reported.
The source added that Mary “Maggie” Cleary, the second-in-charge in the office who was briefly made acting U.S. attorney until Halligan came in, has also expressed concerns about the strength of the case.
Trump replaced Siebert with Halligan, a lawyer who defended the president in civil litigation following an FBI search of his Florida residence for classified documents in 2022 and most recently served as a White House adviser.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
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President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
Uzbekistan will open an embassy in Georgia, the Central Asian country’s presidency has said. The announcement follows talks between Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Tbilisi.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) opened its annual party conference, where delegates voted to keep Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party's co-leaders.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use next week's NATO summit in Ankara to advance his push for greater European responsibility in security, with a bilateral meeting planned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Paris seeks closer coordination with key allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting a strong protest from Taipei, which accused Beijing of illegally expanding its authority and undermining regional stability.
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