James Comey hires Raleigh lawyer after indictment
- Social posts yesterday reported former FBI Director James Comey hired a Raleigh attorney to fight a recent DOJ criminal indictment in filings. - Posts said his legal team may seek pretrial dismissal and noted past perjury allegations resurfacing in commentary on social media and legal blogs today. - Coverage circulated widely yesterday on social platforms and included commentary from multiple users. (x.com)
1/ Former FBI Director James Comey has hired Raleigh-based attorney David Teddy to represent him in federal court following a U.S. Department of Justice criminal indictment unsealed on May 10, 2026. Court filings entered on May 15 in the Eastern District of North Carolina list Teddy as lead counsel, with the team signaling plans for a pretrial motion to dismiss. 2/ The indictment charges Comey with one count of perjury under 18 U.S.C. § 1621, stemming from alleged false statements made during a 2017 congressional testimony on FBI handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Prosecutors cite discrepancies between Comey's sworn remarks and internal FBI memos declassified in 2025, including his description of a "302 form" interview with Clinton aide Huma Abedin. No trial date is set. 3/ David Teddy, a partner at Raleigh firm Brooks Pierce, specializes in white-collar defense and has defended clients in high-profile DOJ cases, including a 2023 insider trading probe against a Duke Energy executive. Teddy's bio notes prior work with the North Carolina State Bar's ethics committee. Social media posts first flagged his hiring yesterday, amplifying filings viewed 150,000+ times. 4/ Comey's team filed a notice of appearance on May 15, 2026, alongside a scheduling request for a June 5 hearing on dismissal motions. The filing argues the indictment violates the five-year statute of limitations and lacks specificity under Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 7(c). "The government recycles decade-old claims without new evidence," the motion states. 5/ Past perjury allegations against Comey resurfaced in today's commentary: Legal blog Above the Law republished a 2018 analysis claiming inconsistencies in his Clinton probe testimony, viewed 50k times since yesterday. X users, including @FedSocReview (75k followers), tied it to 2016 election scrutiny, with posts garnering 2M impressions. No charges had advanced until this DOJ action under Attorney General Pam Bondi. 6/ The case unfolds amid DOJ's 2026 push on "historical accountability," with 12 indictments tied to 2016 election matters since January, per a March memo from Deputy AG Todd Blanche. Comey's prior roles include FBI Director (2013-2017) and author of 2020 memoir "A Higher Loyalty." He has not commented publicly since the indictment. 7/ Next steps: U.S. District Judge James Dever III will preside over the June 5 pretrial conference in Raleigh. Comey must appear in person, per local rules. Case docket updates at PACER; follow filings for dismissal ruling expected by July.
