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Former Federal Bureau of Investigation chief James Comey has denied the charges to giving untrue testimony to congressional representatives and hindering a lawmaking procedure.

His legal representative submitted the answer acting as his counsel in a US district court in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday.

Patrick Fitzgerald announced he would seek to have the proceedings thrown out for several factors including that his client, a critic of Donald Trump, was being targeted.

The former director was charged just days after the former president pushed his attorney general to take action against him.

Legal Proceedings

During the hearing on mid-week, the defense counsel the legal representative told the court they aimed to present multiple petitions to throw out the case before a legal hearing, arguing the government's case was vindictive and that a government lawyer was unlawfully designated to handle the case.

The former director's proceedings was first managed by Erik Siebert, who stepped down under pressure from the former president after his investigation into another opponent - the New York official - did not succeed to file indictments.

Legal Setting

The former director appeared in good spirits as he walked into the legal venue on mid-week, chatting with his legal team and sharing humor. He was joined by his spouse, Patrice Failor and daughter Maureen, a government attorney who the Trump administration terminated.

Upon hearing to the magistrate read his constitutional guarantees and the dual charges against him in the courtroom on Wednesday, Mr Comey was inquired if he comprehended the allegations.

"Yes your honour. Appreciate it," he informed the proceedings.

Historical Information

The former director was the chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2013 to 2017 and was fired about four months into Donald Trump's first term as president. At the moment, he was leading an examination into Russian election interference and whether there were any connections between the Russian government and the presidential campaign.

During his tenure, James Comey triggered a backlash from Democrats when he stated just immediately preceding the 2016 presidential election that he was probing presidential nominee Clinton's use of a private email server. Indictments against the candidate were not pursued, leading to disapproval from the Republican party as well.

Present Charges

The federal government claim James Comey lied to Congress during a congressional hearing in September 2020 when he was being interrogated about both the previous examination as well as the election interference investigation. They say he provided false information to the upper house by saying he had not permitted a person at the agency to disclose to news outlets details about the agency probes.

Legal representatives also accuse James Comey of "wrongfully trying to sway, hinder and delay" the committee by providing untrue information to it.

Public Statements

Through a recording James Comey published to his social media after he was indicted, he stated he was wrongly accused and alleged the former president of behaving like a "dictator".

"My family and I have known for considerable time that there are costs to standing up to the former president," he stated. "We will not live on our bended knee."

"I am not guilty," he stated further. "So let's have a legal proceeding."

The accusations against James Comey came after Donald Trump published on digital channels calling for his chief prosecutor, the attorney general, prosecute Mr Comey and additional individuals.