‘we Will Not Live On Our Knees’: A Defiant Comey Mounts A Video Defense

A defiant James Comey is mounting a defense in the court of public opinion — insisting in a video on Instagram that he’s innocent and won’t be cowed by President Donald Trump.

The former FBI director said in the message Thursday that his “heart is broken for the Department of Justice” by the decision to indict him on one count of making a false statement and a second for obstruction of a congressional proceeding — but that he is innocent and confident in the federal legal system.

“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,” he said. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn't either.”

Comey responded shortly after being charged by the Department of Justice in an unprecedented legal action.

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I'm innocent,” Comey said in the video. “So let's have a trial, and keep the faith.”

Comey has been a target of Trump and his Republican allies after he initiated an investigation into Russia’s effort to influence the 2016 presidential election and suspected collusion with Trump campaign associates.

Trump fired Comey after assuming office in 2017, sparking significant backlash from both parties and resulting in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s influence campaign.

Since then, Comey has been a vocal antagonist to Trump. In May, Comey posted, then deleted, an anti-Trump message on social media that some Trump allies, including FBI Director Kash Patel, interpreted as a threat on Trump’s life. Comey denied any violent intent behind the post.

In his social media video, he pledged to continue defying Trump despite the indictment.

In the video, Comey referenced his daughter Maurene Comey, who worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan before being fired in July. After her firing, she sent a message to colleagues urging them to remain steadfast against what she characterized as DOJ leadership’s attempts to instill fear.

“Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she's right,” Comey said in the video, referring to his daughter’s message. “But I'm not afraid, and I hope you're not either. I hope instead you are engaged, you are paying attention and you will vote like your beloved country depends upon it, which it does.”