Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice.

The indictment came just days after Trump publicly demanded on Truth Social that Attorney General Pam Bondi move “now” to prosecute Comey and other political adversaries. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s damaging our reputation and credibility,” Trump posted on September 20, addressing Bondi directly. “They impeached me twice and indicted me five times—OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

The charges against Comey follow the ousting of Erik Siebert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who resigned under pressure after expressing concerns about insufficient evidence to prosecute Trump’s political opponents. Siebert had been investigating mortgage fraud allegations against New York Attorney General Letitia James and overseeing the potential case against Comey.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Siebert informed senior Justice Department officials that his five-month investigation had not uncovered enough evidence to charge James, and he expressed reservations about pursuing Comey. Trump publicly called for Siebert’s removal, stating “I want him out.”

Trump later claimed on Truth Social that he had fired Siebert rather than accepting his resignation.

Following Siebert’s departure, Trump swiftly installed Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide and his former defense attorney, as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan, who has no prosecutorial experience, previously represented Trump in the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

The grand jury indicted Comey on only two of the three counts sought by prosecutors, declining to approve a third charge after more than 12 jurors “did not concur” with that count. Reports revealed that federal prosecutors had earlier informed the new U.S. attorney that they could not establish probable cause to charge Comey.

Despite these concerns and what sources described as ethical reservations about bringing a case without clear probable cause, the newly appointed prosecutor proceeded to seek the indictment. 

The statute of limitations for the allegations was set to expire on Tuesday, September 30, creating urgency around the timing of the charges.

Trump celebrated the Comey indictment in a Thursday evening Truth Social post, declaring “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” and calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to”. He continued: “Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts. He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The charges against Comey make him the first former senior government official to face prosecution in connection with Trump’s grievances over the Russia investigation. Legal experts have expressed concern that the Justice Department is being weaponized to pursue investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s political enemies.

If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines typically result in lesser penalties.