"It is not about the law," the Minnesota senator said of the indictment of the former FBI director.
By Cheyanne M. Daniels
Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday accused the White House of seeking “vengeance” following the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as the top federal prosecutor in Virginia and the subsequent indictment of former FBI director James Comey.
In an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Klobuchar said she plans to speak with Republican colleagues on the Justice Committee, of which is she a ranking member, about Halligan’s appointment and Comey’s indictment.
“When I questioned Attorney General [Pam] Bondi during her confirmation hearing, she assured me that politics would not play a role, that they would make independent decisions,” the Minnesota Democrat said. “That’s not what this is. This is a vengeance prosecution. It is not about the law.”
Halligan was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after the former attorney, Erik Seibert, resigned after pressure from the White House. Seibert had also failed to bring charges against New York Attorney Letitia James despite urging from President Donald Trump.
Two days after she was sworn in, Halligan — who has no prosecutorial experience but represented Trump in the criminal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith over his hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago a — filed charges against Comey.
The two charges stem from the fromer FBI director’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 about the bureau’s investigation into possible connections between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
Notably, the charges came after Trump called on Bondi to prosecute his perceived political enemies, including Comey.
“What I see, this as a former prosecutor myself, this is weaponizing the Justice Department,” Klobuchar said on Sunday.
For his part, Comey, who Trump fired in 2017, expressed disappointment in the DOJ but confidence in the justice system.
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either,” Comey 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.”