Donald Trump has indicated that further criminal charges may be brought against individuals he considers his political adversaries, following the indictment of former FBI director James Comey. Speaking on Friday as he departed the White House, the president said: 'It’s not a list, but I think there’ll be others. They were corrupt radical left Democrats.'
The indictment, filed in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, alleges that Comey made false statements to Congress in September 2020 when he denied authorising leaks to reporters about an investigation into Hillary Clinton. However, the case has been widely criticised as weak, with prosecutors obtaining only a two-count indictment and a third charge being rejected by the grand jury.
Trump’s remarks have raised concerns that the justice department is being used to enact retribution against his opponents. The president recently called for investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff, as well as Comey, posting on Truth Social: 'They impeached me twice and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!'
The case against Comey has a troubled history: former interim US attorney Erik Siebert declined to bring charges before being fired and replaced by Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide with no prosecutorial experience. Despite being briefed on the case’s weaknesses, Halligan proceeded, and only 14 of 23 grand jurors voted for the false statement charge.
Other Trump adversaries have also faced scrutiny, including former CIA director John Brennan, who is under criminal investigation, and former national security adviser John Bolton, whose home was searched by the FBI last month over alleged mishandling of classified documents.
