Donald Trump’s campaign to secure an indictment against former FBI director James Comey has drawn condemnation from former prosecutors and scholars, who say it marks a dangerous erosion of judicial independence. However, some warn the heavy-handed pressure could undermine the case by exposing it as a politically motivated prosecution.
Comey was indicted last week on two counts of lying to Congress in 2020 about a leak related to the Russia investigation. The charges came after Trump publicly demanded action, including a post on Truth Social urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to move quickly before a statute of limitations deadline.
The president’s involvement included the removal of Virginia US attorney Erik Siebert, who had reportedly deemed the case weak. Siebert was replaced by White House adviser Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump defence lawyer with no prosecutorial experience. Halligan was the sole signatory on the two-page indictment, a departure from standard practice.
Former prosecutors said the intervention shattered the long-standing convention of separating the White House from justice department decisions. “Since Watergate, communications have been strictly limited to avoid even the appearance of politicised prosecutions,” said Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney. “Under Trump, the DoJ is now just one more political tool.”
Michael Bromwich, a former DoJ inspector general, described the development as “chilling”. He added: “Prosecutors are taught to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons. That has been replaced by doing what the White House says, regardless of facts or law.”
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and celebrated the indictment as “justice in America”. Comey, who maintains his innocence, said in a video: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system. So, let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”
