Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) criticized the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey during an appearance on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports on Friday, calling the case politically motivated and harmful to the justice system.
Comey was indicted earlier this week on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
The charges stem from testimony in which prosecutors allege he denied authorizing anyone to act as an anonymous source regarding an FBI investigation connected to Hillary Clinton.
The indictment alleges he in fact directed his longtime associate Daniel Richman to provide information to reporters.
Van Hollen, speaking with anchor Katy Tur, argued the case represented an abuse of executive power.
“What we’re talking about here is a gross corruption of the judicial process,” he said.
“The president effectively ordering his Department of Justice to bring charges against Comey over the objections of people in the Department of Justice initially, including the Eastern District of Virginia attorney who was, by the way, a Trump supporter, who said that there were inadequate grounds for bringing these charges, as did many others.”
Van Hollen described the prosecution as politically driven.
“And so, what we see here is a political prosecution, political persecution. We are in very, very dangerous territory here. And this, of course, comes on the heels of the president’s effort to use government power to crack down on free speech,” he said.
Tur asked whether Van Hollen still had confidence in the Justice Department.
He responded that he did not.
“Oh, I do not have faith in this Justice Department,” he said.
“You’ve got an attorney general, Attorney General Bondi, who is a rubber stamp for the president rather than exercising independent legal judgment. She is just an instrument of the President of the United States. And unlike in other administrations, the president of the United States is directing the Justice Department through his social media directly.”
Van Hollen’s remarks reflect ongoing divisions in Washington over the prosecution of former senior officials tied to FBI and Justice Department actions during and after the 2016 election.
While federal prosecutors maintain the charges against Comey are based on sworn testimony and documented evidence, many Democrats have characterized the indictment as politically motivated.
Comey, who served as FBI director from 2013 until his dismissal in 2017, has been a central figure in numerous controversies.
His oversight of the Clinton email investigation, his role in approving surveillance under the Crossfire Hurricane probe, and his memos documenting conversations with President Trump have all drawn scrutiny.
The current charges add another chapter to his contentious post-government career.
The Justice Department has not issued public comment beyond the indictment itself, and Comey has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case is expected to move forward in federal court in the coming months.
