WASHINGTON (Reuters) — An FBI agent was removed from duty for declining to organize a “perp walk” of former FBI Director James Comey in front of media cameras after Comey was federally charged last month, according to four people familiar with the situation.
Comey was charged on September 25 with making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, marking a major escalation in President Donald Trump’s campaign against his political opponents.
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on personnel matters. It remains unclear how or when senior FBI officials sought to stage Comey’s appearance at the bureau’s Washington field office. Only a court summons, not an arrest warrant, was issued, though defendants sometimes report to FBI offices for booking after a summons.
Comey, who has denied wrongdoing, is scheduled to appear in court Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington. His attorney declined to comment.
Trump, who fired Comey in 2017, has repeatedly criticized Comey’s handling of the FBI investigation into Russian contacts with his 2016 campaign. The administration is also investigating other former officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and John Bolton. This is the first time a grand jury indictment has been secured against one of Trump’s political rivals.
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