By Steve Neavling
President Trump’s newly installed federal prosecutor in Virginia is racing to bring charges against former FBI Director James Comey before a statute of limitations expires next week, officials said, The New York Times reports.
Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump defense lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, was appointed last week after the president forced out U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who had resisted pressure to prosecute Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump has demanded the Justice Department target both, despite career prosecutors concluding there was not enough evidence.
Prosecutors have been examining whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony about the FBI’s 2016 investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia. Halligan could seek an indictment as early as Thursday but is expected to act by Tuesday, according to officials.
“Perjury is a very difficult crime to prove,” John P. Fishwick, former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said. “The department must show that a particular statement was false and that the defendant knew it was false at the time he or she testified.”
Even if Halligan presents the case, there is no guarantee a grand jury will indict Comey. Career prosecutors previously told Justice Department leaders that the evidence was too weak to secure a conviction.
