‘Constitutional crisis’: Democrats hit Trump administration, DOJ over James Comey indictment

Phrase of former FBI Director James Comey’s federal indictment despatched anger and shockwaves round Congress, with a number of distinguished Democrats sounding off on what they known as a politically motivated assault by President Donald Trump’s Justice Division.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy known as Comey’s indictment — which was on fees of constructing a false assertion and obstruction associated to his testimony earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 — a “constitutional disaster.”

“We aren’t on a slippery slope to a constitutional disaster. We’re IN the disaster. Time for leaders – political leaders, enterprise leaders, civic leaders – to choose a aspect: democracy or autocracy?” he wrote on X Thursday evening.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin pointed to the current resignation of U.S. Lawyer Erik Siebert and appointment of Lindsey Halligan as setting the stage for Comey’s indictment. Siebert, Trump’s earlier nominee for the U.S. legal professional for the Jap District of Virginia, resigned from the workplace after sources mentioned he refused to convey fees in opposition to New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James over unfounded allegations of mortgage fraud. Trump later claimed he “fired” Siebert and shortly put in Halligan into the place.

“As if by magic, inside mere days of being appointed, Ms. Halligan delivered for the president by submitting the precise baseless fees in opposition to Mr. Comey that her predecessor had rejected,” Raskin mentioned in a press release.

“I’ve little doubt {that a} jury of his friends will acquit and vindicate Mr. Comey after being afforded the chance to listen to all of the related proof,” he added.

Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries launched a press release Thursday evening calling the indictment a “disgraceful assault on the rule of legislation.”

“The malicious prosecution in opposition to James Comey has no obvious foundation in legislation or reality, and legal professionals of fine conscience within the division realize it,” he mentioned.

Democratic Sen. Peter Welch known as Comey’s indictment a “new low.”

“President Trump and his Justice Division’s indictment of James Comey is a brand new low for our democracy. The rationale for the indictment is obvious: Comey is Trump’s political adversary,” Welch wrote on X.

Republicans had been extra subdued of their preliminary response to the indictment.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appeared to hunt extra particulars and let the authorized course of play out.

“On the time of Comey’s alleged false statements and obstruction, my colleagues and I had energetic investigations. If the information and the proof help the discovering that Comey lied to Congress and obstructed our work, he must be held accountable,” he mentioned in a press release.

A couple of Republicans, nevertheless, praised the Justice Division.

“As I mentioned final month, it is time to expose the lies and corruption from folks like James Comey,” Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt mentioned in a submit on X.

Republican Sen. John Coryn famous that whereas the “authorized system supplies for the presumption of innocence, Comey’s accountability for FBI abuses in the course of the first Trump time period are lengthy overdue.”

“These fees are severe offenses, particularly if dedicated by the top of our nation’s high legislation enforcement company, and there should be penalties for any crimes,” he mentioned in a press release.