WASHINGTON, DC—Former FBI director James Comey asked a federal court on Monday (Tuesday Manila time) to throw out his felony charges on the grounds they were motivated by the “personal spite” of US President Donald Trump.
Comey, 64, a prominent Trump critic, said the case against him is a “vindictive and selective prosecution” and should be dismissed.
Comey pleaded not guilty this month to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
He was the first of three outspoken critics of the Republican president to be indicted in recent weeks in what is widely seen as a campaign of retribution against Trump’s political opponents.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump, was indicted this month on one count of bank fraud and a second count of making false statements to a financial institution.
Another Trump critic, his former national security advisor John Bolton, was indicted last week on 18 counts of transmitting and retaining classified information.
Comey’s lawyers, in a filing with a district court in Virginia, said his prosecution is an “egregious abuse of power by the federal government.”
“The United States Constitution entitles individuals to speak out against the government and, in turn, forbids the government from retaliating against individuals for their protected speech,” they said.
“President Trump ordered the Department of Justice to prosecute Mr Comey because of personal spite and because Mr Comey has frequently criticized the President for his conduct in office,” they added. AFP
Comey’s lawyers noted that the charges were brought by a US attorney who was hand-picked by Trump after the previous federal prosecutor declined to proceed with the case. AFP
