James Comey was indicted on two counts, but President Donald Trump's hand-picked federal prosecutor failed to convince a grand jury to indict the former FBI director on a third count.
The president's longtime political nemesis faces felony charges of obstructing the congressional proceeding where he testified Sept. 30, 2020, about an alleged leak to the media and making false statements to Congress during that testimony, but CNN reported that grand jurors were not convinced by the evidence on another count related to Hillary Clinton.
"It’s also not known exactly which investigative detail was leaked to the press – or even which 2016 investigation it stems from," CNN reported. "Comey has come under scrutiny for his handling of two 2016 investigations, one around Clinton, and the other around Trump, both of which played a role in the presidential campaign that year."
It's highly unusual for 12 or more of at most 23 grand jurors to vote no in court against a potential charge sought by prosecutors, but that's what happened when this panel rejected a count sought by newly installed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Hannigan, a former personal lawyer for Trump.
"In this investigation of Comey, prosecutors had wanted to charge Comey with a false statement to Congress related to Hillary Clinton in 2016," CNN reported. "Documents now public in court appear to pinpoint Comey’s answer to the Senate Judiciary Committee when he was asked prior knowledge he may have had on an alleged plan from Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign that could help her campaign and hurt Trump’s."
“'That doesn’t ring any bells with me,' Comey testified in 2020 in response to a question from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham," the network added. "That will not be part of the case going forward."
Comey famously sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28, 2016, just 11 days before the election between Clinton and Trump, announcing the reopening of the email probe involving the Democratic nominee, which many credit with tipping the contest against her.
