'I'm Not Afraid': Defiant James Comey Knows 'There Are Costs' to Standing Up to Donald Trump After Indictment

After getting hit with federal criminal charges, former FBI Director James Comey is not backing down to Donald Trump.

On September 25, a federal grand jury indicted Comey on charges of giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.

Comey issued a video statement following the ordeal, sharing, “My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”

“Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right, but I’m not afraid,” Comey continued. “And I hope you’re not either. I hope instead you are engaged, you are paying attention, and you will vote like your beloved country depends on it, which it does.” Comey noted his “heart is broken for the Department of Justice,” but he has “great confidence in the federal judicial system.” “I’m innocent,” he concluded. “So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”

Comey and Trump have had a history of bad blood since 2016, when Comey began an investigation into Trump over allegations his campaign colluded with Russia to help him win the presidency. Trump ended up firing him.

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia advised the U.S. attorney there was not enough evidence to bring charges against Comey, to which they agreed. Comey later resigned.

Lindsey Halligan, one of Trump’s former defense attorneys, is now the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and is going after Comey. In U.S. history, an FBI director has not faced federal criminal charges to date.

As OK! reported in May, Comey posted a controversial message online about Trump, suggesting America should get rid of him for good.

“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” he captioned a now-deleted Instagram post of seashells spelling out “86 47.”

“86” is a term widely used in the restaurant industry when staff need to know what products are no longer in stock, while “47” represents Trump being the 47th president of America.

Comey’s post caused controversy among political figures, who were torn on whether or not he was calling for violence, or worst-case scenario, an assassination against the president.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich expressed their opinion after Comey’s message went viral, saying his comment was “deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously” by officials.

“While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States — a message etched in the sand,” Budowich posted on X at the time.

Comey ended up apologizing for the post, sharing, “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Trump didn’t buy what Comey was selling, insisting he knew “exactly what he meant” when he shared the image online.

“That meant assassination, and it says it loud and clear,” the president added. “I don't want to take a position on it because that’s going to be up to Pam [Bondi] and all of the great people.”