Former FBI director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to felony charges in a case widely seen as an escalation of President Donald Trump's campaign of retribution against political opponents.
Comey's lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday before District Judge Michael Nachmanoff during his arraignment at a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia.
The judge set a trial date of January 5.
A few protestors had gathered outside the court ahead of Comey's arrival, including a man holding up a sign reading "Show Trial."
Comey, 64, a prominent critic of the president, was indicted by a grand jury last month on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Comey's indictment stems from sworn testimony he gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020.
He is accused of falsely stating that he had not authorised another FBI employee to be an anonymous source in news reports.
He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Comey was appointed to head the FBI by president Barack Obama in 2013 and was fired by Trump in 2017 amid a probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.
The charges against Comey came just days after Trump had publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against the former FBI director and others he sees as enemies — a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free from White House pressure.
Trump hailed the indictment, calling Comey "one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to."
'Costs to standing up' to Trump
Comey has proclaimed his innocence and said "my family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump."
Comey's daughter, Maurene, was summarily fired in July as a prosecutor in Manhattan and has filed suit against the Justice Department over her dismissal.
Trump was the target of several investigations after leaving the White House in 2021.
The FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 as part of a probe into mishandling of classified documents, which he kept in bathrooms and other unsecure locations even after leaving the presidency.
Trump was also charged by Special Counsel Jack Smith with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election — culminating with the January 6, 2021 assault on Congress by his supporters.
Neither case came to trial, and Smith — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November 2024 vote.
