Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted on two criminal charges: making false statements and obstruction of justice. The indictment was issued by a grand jury in Virginia, marking a significant escalation in President Donald Trump's efforts to seek retribution against critics of his administration.

The charges stem from Comey's 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he addressed Republican criticisms regarding the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. During that testimony, Comey denied authorizing the disclosure of sensitive information to the media.

Trump fired Comey in 2017, shortly after Comey confirmed that the FBI was investigating the president's campaign for potential connections to Russia. Since then, Trump has frequently criticized Comey's handling of the investigation, which ultimately found numerous contacts between Trump's campaign and Russian officials but did not establish a criminal conspiracy.

The indictment follows a social media post from Trump, in which he criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi for not acting swiftly enough to bring charges against his adversaries. Trump wrote, "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW." In response to the indictment, Bondi stated, "No one is above the law," emphasizing the Justice Department's commitment to holding accountable those who misuse their power.

However, the case against Comey has faced skepticism within the Eastern District of Virginia, where the U.S. attorney's office is handling the indictment. Erik Siebert, the district's top federal prosecutor, resigned last week after expressing doubts about the strength of the case, which reportedly drew Trump's ire. Concerns have also been raised by other prosecutors in the office, with some advising Siebert's successor, Lindsey Halligan, against pursuing charges due to insufficient evidence.

Comey has been a vocal critic of Trump, describing him as "morally unfit" for office. His firing led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation. The investigation concluded that while there were numerous contacts between Trump's campaign and Russian officials, there was not enough evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy.

The Justice Department's internal watchdog previously found errors in the investigation process but did not identify any political bias. In a 2019 report, the watchdog criticized Comey for sharing memos of his interactions with Trump, but the department did not pursue criminal charges against him during Trump's first term.