Former FBI Director James Comey is photographed on April 13, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Former FBI Director James Comey said his heart is “broken” for the Department of Justice after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction.

Prosecutors allege that Comey falsely said during 2020 testimony before U.S. lawmakers that he hadn't “authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports" regarding an FBI investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 campaign contacts with Russia.

Responding to the criminal charges on social media, Comey referenced his own longstanding feud with President Trump dating back to his ouster as FBI director during the opening months of the Republican's first term.

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn't imagine ourselves living any other way,” Comey said in the video clip shared on Instagram. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn't either.”

Comey referenced his daughter, Maurene, who was fired by President Donald Trump from the Manhattan federal prosecutorial office in July and has since sued the Trump administration.

“Somebody that I love dearly recently said that ‘fear is the tool of a tyrant,’ and she's right, but I'm not afraid, and I hope you're not either,” Comey said. “I hope instead, you are engaged, you are paying attention, and you will vote like your beloved country depends upon it, which it does.”

Comey, 64, is scheduled to be arraigned in Alexandria, Virginia, on Oct. 9. In his video statement, he said he’s innocent and has “great confidence in the federal judicial system.”

Trump fired Comey from the FBI leadership role in 2017, a move that triggered the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and a wider DOJ investigation into the Republican's campaign contacts with Russia and Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election. Comey is a lifelong Republican who served as the No. 2 official in the George W. Bush administration's Justice Department before his appointment by President Barack Obama to a 10-year term atop the FBI in 2013.

Comey’s indictment comes days after Trump publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek criminal charges against him. On Truth Social, Trump celebrated the grand jury's move against Comey.

“JUSTICE IN AMERICA!" the president wrote. "One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI. 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!”

Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former FBI Director James Comey: 'We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn't either'

Reporting by Sudiksha Kochi and Josh Meyer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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