Comey became the first former FBI director in history to face arraignment earlier this month after being indicted in September. He has suggested that he faces a politically motivated case driven by antagonists within President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Comey is pleading not guilty to two felony counts related to his 2020 Senate testimony. These charges include allegedly lying to Congress about authorizing a subordinate to speak with reporters and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
David Dreeben, who previously led Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team in delivering arguments before the Supreme Court regarding former President Trump’s legal immunity, has been assigned to Comey’s case. Dreeben and Smith had argued that Trump does not have absolute immunity for official acts. This debate around absolute immunity arose when Smith led the Biden Justice Department’s prosecution against Trump for election interference.
Trump argued that the case was weaponized against him for political purposes. He maintained his innocence against DOJ charges alleging that he sought to overturn the 2020 election through his actions on January 6, 2021. Trump’s defense rested on his interpretation of the Constitution, claiming absolute immunity for acts committed as president. However, the Supreme Court issued a ruling last year largely in Trump’s favor, delivering a setback to Dreeben and Smith’s election-interference case.
Similarly, Comey contends that his indictment is politically motivated retribution for the investigations he led as FBI director. Under Comey’s direction, the FBI launched a 2016 investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russian efforts to influence the election. Trump has long dismissed this investigation as a “hoax” after it ultimately fizzled out following years of scrutiny.
Comey received a slight boost in his legal battle earlier this week when a judge rejected federal prosecutors’ attempt to impose broad restrictions on the evidence that Comey can access ahead of his trial.
Dreeben’s involvement in Comey’s case comes after his work on former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Mueller’s team probed Trump over suspicions of colluding with Russia to win the 2016 election. After nearly two years of scrutiny, Mueller closed the investigation in 2019, concluding that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign coordinated with the Russian government.
Trump has consistently framed the investigation as a “witch hunt,” portraying it as an effort by the so-called deep state to end his career.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/3855792/jack-smith-former-right-hand-man-comey-defense-team/
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