Former FBI director and prominent Donald Trump critic James Comey has been indicted on two criminal counts as the United States president escalates a campaign of retribution against political foes.
The charges came days after Trump publicly urged attorney general Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and others he considers enemies — a departure from the principle that the justice department must be free of White House pressure.
Comey was charged with making false statements and obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation he conducted into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election that Trump won, and if he colluded with the Russians.
Trump hailed the indictment, saying Comey is "one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to".
Trump has threatened to imprison his political rivals since he first ran for president in 2015, but Thursday's indictment marks the first time his administration has succeeded in securing a grand jury indictment against one of them.
The justice department is also investigating other antagonists, including New York attorney general Letitia James and John Bolton, who served as a national security official in Trump's first term as president.
Comey faces up to five years in prison if convicted, according to federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who was appointed by Trump just days ago. She is a former personal lawyer to the president who has no experience as a prosecutor.
"No-one is above the law," Bondi said in a statement as the justice department announced charges against Comey for committing "serious crimes".
Who is James Comey?
Comey served as FBI director from 2013 until 2017, the year Trump began his first term.
Trump fired him as FBI director days after Comey publicly confirmed that Trump was under investigation over his election campaign's alleged connections to Russia.
Comey then emerged as a prominent critic of the president, calling him "morally unfit" for office.
His firing led to the appointment of another former FBI chief, Robert Mueller, as a special counsel to take charge of the Russia investigation, which unearthed numerous contacts between the campaign and Russian officials, but concluded that there was not enough evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy.
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the investigation James Comey led into his 2016 election campaign as a "witch hunt". Source: AAP / Yuri Gripas/ABACA/Sipa USA
What are the charges about?
Since Trump returned to office last January, the justice department has been examining Comey's 2020 testimony when he addressed Republican criticisms of the Russia investigation and denied that he had authorised disclosures of sensitive information to the news media.
The indictment alleges that Comey misled Congress by claiming he had not authorised anyone else to be an anonymous source in news reporting about an FBI investigation.
The charges breach decades-long norms that have sought to insulate US law enforcement from political pressures.
The federal prosecutor in Virginia, who had been tasked with pursuing the case, resigned last week after drawing Trump's wrath for expressing doubts about the case. Others in the office have privately said the evidence does not merit criminal charges, according to sources familiar with the matter.
How has James Comey responded?
Comey, in a video posted on Instagram, said: "My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I'm innocent. So, let's have a trial and keep the faith."
His attorney, Patrick J Fitzgerald, said in a statement: "Jim Comey denies the charges filed today in their entirety. We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom."
