Sources: Attorney General Bondi and prosecutors Weighing Risks of Charging James Comey
WASHINGTON – Despite calls for prosecution from allies of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and several federal prosecutors are expressing reservations about pursuing criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey, according to multiple sources familiar with the deliberations.The concerns center on the potential legal challenges and precedent-setting implications of targeting a former high-ranking law enforcement official, even amid persistent accusations of wrongdoing leveled by Trump and his supporters.
The debate comes as Trump allies continue to publicly demand Comey’s indictment, revisiting grievances related to the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. While Trump’s administration previously scrutinized Comey’s actions, a formal prosecution would represent a important escalation with uncertain legal outcomes and potential political ramifications.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller reiterated those calls Wednesday night on Fox News, stating, “I’m always happy to talk about … Comey, who of course is corrupt, who of course has been engaged in vast amounts of illicit and unlawful conduct, who of course was at the center of the Russia gate attack and assault on American democracy. It has to lead somewhere to accountability.”
Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro echoed this sentiment Tuesday, calling for Comey to be imprisoned for a host of grievances – many of which federal prosecutors have previously investigated and declined to pursue. Navarro himself previously served time in federal prison for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas related to the investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “There’s a lot of people out there who should be in prison in my judgment, and I think in the judgement of many people in the Trump Administration,” Navarro said. “James Comey’s at the top of that list now.”
