President Donald Trump’s response to questions about his role in the federal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey left many wondering if he’s losing his grip. He began with a bold denial — even though just weeks earlier he’d posted on Truth Social urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to “go after” Comey and other political opponents — but before his thoughts trailed off, he seemed to contradict himself entirely.
During a recent press briefing inside the Oval Office, Trump was back to his usual antics.
“Comey is a dishonest guy. So all I have to do is, I mean, I have nothing to do with the case, I just say…” Trump said before CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed him.
“But you called on Pam Bondi to prosecute him in a post on Truth Social.”
Trump shot back, “No, no, I don’t call anybody. You know what, I’m allowed to do that if I wanted to do that. But Comey’s a crooked guy, he has been for years, a dishonest guy…”
Critics accused Trump of playing word games to distance himself from a case he had publicly demanded and getting himself trapped in the process.
“No, he didn’t call her. He posted it on social media by mistake,” one person said in the comments of a viral post on Threads.
Many viewers said they saw straight through Trump’s doublespeak.
One user mused, “MAGAs best Trump, to stupid reporter: Have nothing to do with it ~ I didn’t call anybody ~ well okay, I’m allowed to do all those things you just asked me, that I lied about and denied. ‘Scuze me MAGA genius, care to re-evaluate who’s the dumbass here? Some days best to stfu.”
“First he denies involvement, then he admits the power to intervene. Newsflash: we saw your Truth Social post, Trump. Stop lying!!!!!,” another added.
Even more took notice of Trump’s slip mid-speak, “love that he switched up the lie with an admission at the end.”
Some attritbuted the doublespeak to Trump’s own mental decline. “He already forgot he posted on Truth Social and deleted it…..” observed one Threads user.
Another feared something worse, “He has dementia! Disorganized thinking, tangential thought process, impoverished speech, dysarthria, confabulation, time-shifting, repetitive speech. Should I go on?”
Others said the president’s denial was just blatant dishonesty.
“Keep asking him the hard questions. Back him into a corner with all of his lies,” one man said. Another wrote, “An unimportant walking lie and master distraction for the corrupted media to feed off as they dumb down the voters. Miller is the real enemy.”
At least one asked the bold question in all caps, “IS THIS NOT TREASON AT THIS POINT???”
Comey was indicted Sept. 25 on two counts — making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding — less than a week after Trump’s Sept. 20 post on Truth Social.
The message, addressed directly to Bondi, named Comey, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump wrote.
That same day, he told reporters, “If they’re not guilty, that’s fine. If they are guilty, or if they should be judged, they should be judged. And we have to do it now.”
Trump later celebrated Comey’s indictment, posting, “JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey.”
Comey’s indictment stems from his testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Questioned by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, about earlier testimony in which he denied authorizing leaks to the media about an FBI probe, Comey responded, “I stand by the testimony.”
The indictment does not specify what the investigation was about, but news reports speculate that the investigation was related to Hillary Clinton.
The statute of limitations on the charges was set to expire the week of the indictment. If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison.
Bondi said in a statement that the indictment “reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
Comey denied the charges in a video posted on social media.
“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.”
His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday before U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a Biden appointee.
The Comey indictment was brought by Lindsey Halligan, the newly installed acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan, a former private attorney for Trump, had been in the post less than a week and had no prior criminal prosecution experience.
Her decision to pursue the case against Comey reportedly met resistance from within her own office. Career prosecutors in the Eastern District sent her a memo outlining why they believed there was insufficient evidence to support the charges, according to NBC News, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Despite that, Halligan proceeded, presenting the case alone before a grand jury that ultimately indicted Comey on two of three counts.
During court proceedings, confusion arose over multiple charging documents. Judge Lindsey Vaala questioned why there were two versions of the same indictment. “It has your signature on it,” she told Halligan, who replied, “I did not see.” Vaala ordered her to make handwritten corrections and submit both versions to the docket.
Unusually, Halligan’s name was the only one on the indictment — no assistant U.S. attorneys were listed.
Trump’s pressure campaign against Bondi and his Justice Department marks another break from post-Watergate norms that barred presidents from interfering in prosecutions. Since beginning his second term, Trump has appointed personal lawyers to senior DOJ posts, pardoned over 1,000 people charged in the Jan. 6 riot, and repeatedly called on federal prosecutors to target his adversaries.
As Comey awaits trial, critics say his indictment underscores how deeply the Justice Department has been politicized — and how far Trump is willing to go to settle old scores under the guise of “restoring accountability.”
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