Former FBI Director James Comey, a vocal critic of Donald Trump after he was dismissed from his post in 2017, had a short and simple response to the groundbreaking news Thursday that the former president is to be indicted.
“It’s been a good day,” Comey tweeted that night, his first tweet in more than three weeks.
DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: EX-PRESIDENT TO HAVE FINGERPRINTING AND MUGSHOT
A Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday to issue an indictment of Trump on charges for his alleged involvement in making hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, according to his legal counsel.
The indictment marks the first time a former U.S. president has been criminally charged, setting the stage for what could be an unprecedented trial as Trump seeks a return to the White House in 2024. The indictment comes days after reports emerged that criminal charges could be forthcoming, drawing pushback from several GOP lawmakers and Trump’s close allies.
Trump, who called the indictment “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” will likely undergo a typical booking process that includes a mugshot and fingerprints when he is arraigned.
Comey was director of the FBI from 2013 until Trump fired him in May 2017. The Trump administration said at the time that Comey was let go because of his handling of the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s unauthorized private email server, particularly when he recommended in July 2016 that no charges should be brought against the former secretary of state.
Comey was in Los Angeles in the middle of a presentation to law enforcement officials when he found out he was fired. He reportedly thought it was a joke at first. The firing came just a few days after Trump explicitly accused Comey of giving Clinton a “free pass” in his investigation of her emails.
Comey regularly criticized Trump on Twitter after his firing. In the summer of 2019, Comey tweeted that “with our voices and our 2020 votes, we must send Donald Trump and his mob back to their dark corner.”
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Trump, likely as brash and opinionated a leader as has ever sat in the Oval Office, made many enemies before, during, and after his time as president. Comey is not his only adversary reveling in Thursday’s news.
But the ramifications of New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment against Trump are only just beginning. As the world watches, and as Trump gears up for a return to the White House, it remains unclear whether the historic move will sink or boost Trump’s prospects for his future.
