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Previous Federal Bureau of Investigation director James the ex-FBI chief has entered an innocent plea to giving untrue testimony to lawmakers and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

Mr Comey's lawyer submitted the response representing him in a US district court in Alexandria, Virginia on mid-week.

Patrick Fitzgerald announced he would attempt to have the case terminated for multiple causes including that his the accused, a detractor of Donald Trump, was being singled out.

The former director was formally accused shortly after Donald Trump pushed his attorney general to take action against him.

Legal Proceedings

In court on Wednesday, the defense counsel Mr Fitzgerald advised the magistrate they aimed to file several legal requests to throw out the legal matter before a trial, stating the prosecution was spiteful and that a US attorney was improperly assigned to handle the legal matter.

The former director's proceedings was initially overseen by Erik Siebert, who resigned under scrutiny from Trump after his probe into an additional political adversary - New York Attorney General Letitia James - did not succeed to file indictments.

Courtroom Atmosphere

James Comey appeared in good spirits as he walked into the courtroom on mid-week, conversing with his attorneys and sharing humor. He was accompanied by his partner, his wife and child Maureen, a US lawyer who the former government dismissed.

After listening to the court state his rights and the two counts against him in the courtroom on mid-week, James Comey was questioned if he grasped the accusations.

"Absolutely your honour. Thank you," he stated to the court.

Previous Events

Mr Comey was the head of the FBI from four years and was terminated about several months into the former president's first administration as commander-in-chief. At the period, Mr Comey was overseeing an probe into Russian election interference and whether there were any connections between Moscow and Trump's campaign.

During his tenure, the director triggered a negative reaction from Democrats when he declared just days before the 2016 presidential election that he was investigating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a non-governmental email account. Charges against Clinton were never brought, resulting in criticism from conservative politicians as well.

Ongoing Accusations

Government attorneys claim James Comey gave untrue statements to US lawmakers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in September 2020 when he was being examined about both the Clinton investigation as well as the election interference investigation. They claim he deceived the upper house by saying he had not permitted a person at the FBI to leak to news outlets details about the government examinations.

Legal representatives also charge the defendant of "improperly attempting to influence, obstruct and impede" the panel by giving misleading testimony to it.

Individual Responses

Via social media Mr Comey posted to his Instagram after he was charged, he stated he was innocent and alleged Trump of conducting himself like a "tyrant".

"Our household have understood for years that there are consequences to challenging Mr Trump," he commented. "We refuse to live on our kneeling."

"I have done nothing wrong," he stated further. "Thus initiate a court case."

The accusations against Mr Comey surfaced after Trump shared on online platforms demanding his attorney general, the attorney general, take legal action against the former director and other people.