Comey pleads not guilty as quick trial date set

Lawyers signal intent to argue the case is politically motivated, targeting a Trump foe.

- BY ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER AND MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

ACTIVISTS protest at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia during ex-FBI Director James Comey's arraignment in Alexandria, Va.

(MEHMET ESER Middle East Images)

James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a criminal case that has highlighted the Justice Department's efforts to target adversaries of President Trump, with lawyers for the former FBI director saying they plan to argue the prosecution is politically motivated and should be dismissed.

The arraignment lasted less than half an hour, but it was nonetheless loaded with historical significance given that the case has amplified concerns the Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of the Republican president's political enemies and is operating at the behest of an administration determined to seek retribution.

Comey's not guilty plea to allegations that he lied to Congress five years ago kick-starts a process of legal wrangling that could culminate in a trial in a few months at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va., just outside Washington. Defense lawyers said they intend to ask that the case be thrown out before trial on grounds that it constitutes a vindictive prosecution and plan to challenge the legitimacy of the appointment of the prosecutor who filed the charges just days after Trump hastily appointed her to her position.

"It's the honor of my life to represent Mr. Comey in this matter," one of Comey's lawyers, Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime friend who served with him in President George W. Bush's Justice Department, said in court on Wednesday.