Analysis-Comey indictment escalates Trump’s campaign to chill opposition

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By Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey shatters norms of independence in federal investigations and will face significant hurdles in court, according to legal experts.

But for President Donald Trump, the final verdict may matter less than the move to exact retribution against an official who investigated him and the warning to others he sees as political enemies.

Comey, who was indicted on Thursday on charges of false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, led the FBI when it began an investigation into ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government.

Comey has professed his innocence and vowed to fight the case in court.

Since Trump returned to office in January, he has used his powers as president to hamstring law firms that represented causes he dislikes, leveraged federal funding to force changes at universities and fired prosecutors who took part in investigations against him. 

He has also pushed for charges against former National Security Adviser John Bolton, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.

When asked about the Comey indictment on Friday, Trump told reporters, “I think there will be others.”

The indictment marked the first time his administration used the power of criminal prosecution against a prominent adversary. It came after Trump openly demanded Comey face charges and called for the removal of a prosecutor who did not think the case was strong.

“The ripple effect from this is huge,” said Rebecca Roiphe, a law professor at New York University. “If you are someone who opposes the president or the administration or poses some kind of obstacle to its agenda, you are doing so at grave risk.”

Justice Department leaders have depicted the case as a strike against political corruption and the improper use of law enforcement. Trump and his allies have long claimed the Russia investigation was a politically biased effort to undermine his first administration. 

“Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche denied that the Justice Department was pressured to indict Comey, telling Fox News’ “America Reports” that Trump “wants us to do our job.”

LEGAL HURDLES AHEAD

The case against Comey faces several legal obstacles to a potential conviction, legal experts said.

It is being led by Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer who represented Trump in civil litigation and has no previous prosecutorial experience.

In an unusual move, Halligan, whom Trump named U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, personally presented the case to a grand jury, sources told Reuters. No career prosecutors in the office signed the indictment.

Prosecutors must prove both that Comey’s statement was false and that it had a substantial impact on a congressional investigation into the FBI’s handling of probes into Trump and his 2016 election rival Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The indictment alleges that Comey lied when he told Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in 2020 that he stood behind previous testimony that he had not authorized anyone at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports.

The indictment does not name the investigation or the news report at issue, but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that it relates to Comey’s alleged move to authorize his friend, law professor Daniel Richman, to share information about an investigation related to Clinton. The document does not detail the evidence gathered against Comey. 

“The underlying premise of the false statement charge is at best incredibly thin,” said Bradley Moss, a lawyer specializing in national security cases.

Another potential obstacle is Trump’s own intervention in the probe. Halligan’s predecessor Erik Siebert, another Trump appointee, resigned under pressure after expressing misgivings about the case.

Trump then mentioned Comey by name in a social media post, demanding “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!” After the indictment, Trump wrote of Comey, “HE LIED” and “there is no way he can explain himself out of it.”

Such statements could be grist for a defense argument that the prosecution is vindictive or selective, meaning that Comey was improperly singled out for prosecution.

Legal experts said such arguments are difficult to win, but the record of Trump’s actions and statements could give Comey a strong case.

A LARGER MESSAGE

The indictment against Comey comes as the Justice Department is pursuing investigations of James and Schiff, who have both played roles in investigations into Trump, over claims of mortgage fraud. Bolton is under probe for potential mishandling of classified documents.

All have denied wrongdoing.

Critics of the administration fear the Comey indictment could presage a larger effort to use criminal law against Trump’s rivals and critics, part of a broader push to intimidate adversaries and stifle dissent.

It also shatters decades-old Justice Department norms that criminal investigations should be insulated from political pressure. An indictment puts a defendant at risk of prison time and even a successful defense can cost huge sums of money.

Trump successfully campaigned in 2024 in part on a vow of political retribution against those he argued had improperly targeted him and his political movement. Trump, who faced four criminal indictments during his years out of power, has long claimed that the legal system was improperly turned against him.

In July, the White House X account posted an image of Trump against a backdrop of fireworks and American flags.

“I was the hunted,” the text on the image read. “NOW I’M THE HUNTER.”

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; editing by Scott Malone, Nick Zieminski and Diane Craft)