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Ex- Federal Bureau of Investigation chief James the former director has entered an innocent plea to making false statements to US legislators and impeding a lawmaking procedure.

Mr Comey's lawyer entered the answer acting as his counsel in a US district court in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday.

Patrick Fitzgerald declared he would try to have the legal matter terminated for several reasons including that his client, a detractor of President Donald Trump, was being selectively prosecuted.

The former director was indicted soon after Donald Trump pushed his chief prosecutor to proceed against him.

Legal Proceedings

In court on Wednesday, the defense counsel the legal representative informed the court they aimed to present several petitions to dismiss the legal matter before a court case, arguing the prosecution was spiteful and that a government lawyer was improperly assigned to assume control of the proceedings.

The former director's case was originally managed by Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure from Trump after his probe into a different rival - NY AG Letitia James - failed to initiate prosecution.

Judicial Environment

Mr Comey appeared in optimistic frame of mind as he walked into the courtroom on mid-week, speaking with his legal team and sharing humor. He was joined by his partner, Mrs Failor and offspring Maureen, a US lawyer who the Trump administration recently fired.

After listening to the court read his rights and the dual charges against him in the courtroom on Wednesday, Mr Comey was questioned if he comprehended the allegations.

"Absolutely your honour. Appreciate it," he informed the court.

Previous Events

Mr Comey was the head of the FBI from 2013 to 2017 and was fired about four months into Trump's first term as commander-in-chief. At the period, the director was overseeing an probe into international campaign influence and whether there were any links between Russia and the election effort.

During his tenure, the director sparked a negative reaction from liberal politicians when he announced just days before the 2016 election that he was examining presidential nominee the candidate's use of a personal email system. Indictments against Hillary Clinton were not filed, resulting in negative feedback from Republicans as well.

Current Allegations

Prosecutors assert the former director lied to US lawmakers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2020 when he was being examined about both the email probe as well as the election interference investigation. They claim he provided false information to the legislative body by saying he had not approved a person at the agency to release to news outlets data about the agency probes.

Prosecutors also accuse James Comey of "wrongfully trying to affect, obstruct and impede" the committee by giving misleading testimony to it.

Public Statements

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

"My family and I have been aware for considerable time that there are ramifications to opposing Donald Trump," he stated. "We choose not to live on our bended knee."

"I'm innocent," he stated further. "So let's have a court case."

The charges against Mr Comey surfaced after the former president posted on digital channels calling for his chief prosecutor, Pam Bondi, take legal action against the former director and additional individuals.