The indictment of former FBI director James Comey has raised controversy among Florida A&M University students, leading some to question whether it was retaliation from the Trump Administration.
On Sept. 25, a federal grand jury indicted Comey, charging him with two felony counts of making false statements and obstruction of congressional proceedings in a 2020 Senate testimony.
Comey served as the FBI director from 2013 to 2017 and was investigating Russian involvement in the 2016 election when President Donald Trump fired him.
“I believe this case is more about legal accountability, but I can also see how it could be political retaliation,” said Te’anna Williams, a fourth-year political science student. “As we can see with Donald Trump as our president, he has been getting more aggressive and stronger with his beliefs, but I think it was also due time for legal accountability.”
Prior to Comey becoming the FBI director, he worked as a U.S. attorney and held other government positions until he was sworn in as director under former President Barack Obama. On July 5, 2016, Comey said that he wouldn’t recommend charging Hillary Clinton for using a private email server while she was secretary of state. Almost a year later, Trump fired Comey, citing his handling of Clinton’s case.
On Dec. 9, 2019, the Justice Department’s inspector general found errors in how the FBI handled the Russian probe investigation. These instances led to Comey’s indictment, and if convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
This indictment has influenced people’s views regarding politics and law enforcement. Some feel that cases like these create a sense of skepticism about whether people in power are held to the same standards and face equal consequences as typical citizens.
“I think this case shows how blurred the line has become between politics and law enforcement,” said Kayla Roberts, a fourth-year political science and pre-law student. “When leadership gets tied into political fighting, it weakens the public trust,” said Kayla Roberts, a fourth-year political science pre-law student from Tampa, Florida. “It suggests that law enforcement can be used as a playing tool in the political battle which makes these situations kind of dangerous because are the decisions about justice or are they about politics.”
“I think this case shows how blurred the line has become between politics and law enforcement,” Roberts said. “When leadership gets tied into political fighting, it weakens the public trust.”
Roberts emphasized the unclear role that law enforcement plays in political discourse.
“It suggests that law enforcement can be used as a playing tool in the political battle, which makes these situations kind of dangerous,” she said. “Are the decisions about justice or are they about politics?”