ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to charges of making false statements and obstructing a 2020 congressional proceeding, as prosecutors signaled the case would introduce classified information in the discovery phase of legal proceedings.
The prosecution, led by U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, argued this was a complicated case and pushed for more time before bringing it to trial. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff raised skepticism about how complicated the two-charge indictment is, but he eventually agreed that a preliminary date for when the trial could begin is Jan. 5.
The government requested that a trial take place outside the “speedy trial window” in part because there is a large amount of discovery in the case, including classified materials, which were not previously discussed before the arraignment.