Former FBI director James Comey pleaded not guilty at an arraignment at a federal courthouse in Virginia on Wednesday on charges filed by the US Justice Department that he lied to Congress in 2020. 

Comey has been charged with providing false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to accusations he falsely stated that he had not authorized another FBI employee to be an anonymous source in news reports about FBI investigations. 

The former FBI director was fired by US President Donald Trump in 2017, after Comey led a probe into Russian election meddling during the 2016 election, which Trump won.

Trump's pursuit of political foes

Comey's attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, entered the not guilty plea before District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, during proceedings that lasted around 25 minutes.

While the trial is scheduled to begin on January 5, Comey's legal team said it will seek to have the charges thrown out on the premise of them being unfairly brought, US media has reported.

"Our view is that this prosecution was brought at the direction of President Trump," Fitzgerald said with broadcaster CNN quoting him as saying they may file an "outrageous government conduct" motion.

The charges were brought by Lindsey Halligan, who was once Trump's personal attorney and who replaced Erik Siebert as the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The case against Comey, who is a prominent critic of Trump, is widely seen as an attempt by the president to seek legal retribution against political opponents. 

Why is Comey a target for the Trump administration?  

Comey took office as FBI director in 2013 under then President Barack Obama.

In 2016, Donald Trump defeated Democratic contender, Hillary Clinton, in the presidential election.

During Trump's first term in office, the FBI under Comey was investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign's possible collusion with Russia to win that election.

The Russia investigation drew anger from Trump in the first months of his first term in office, with Trump firing Comey in May 2017. Trump has frequently slammed the probe into Russian interference, calling it the "Russia hoax."

Edited by: Wesley Rahn