The Comey Indictment Isn't About Comey. It's About All of Us

You don't have to like James Comey to be outraged at Donald Trump's weaponization of the Department of Justice.

Many Democrats resent Comey’s role in the 2016 election. Less than two weeks before election day, then-FBI Director Comey sent a letter to Congress that many blame for derailing Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The letter inflamed a media scandal around her use of the now-famous private email server. Two days before the election, Comey cleared Clinton of any wrongdoing, but the damage was done. Donald Trump became president.

But Trump quickly turned on Comey. The president was upset by the FBI's continued investigation into Russian interference in the election. And he was enraged when he demanded that Comey pledge personal loyalty to him and Comey refused. In 2017, he pushed Comey out of the FBI. Comey further incurred Trump's wrath by writing a book about his experience with Trump and calling him “morally unfit to be president.”

Now, Trump has used his corrupt Department of Justice to indict James Comey on flimsy charges. Trump is using government power for personal revenge—a big red flag and a hallmark of authoritarianism.

Even Trump’s former White House lawyer, Ty Cobb, said the indictment is “a clear vindictive prosecution, a clear selective prosecution.” “We have a president for the first time in history ordering his attorney general to indict his enemies,” Cobb said.

No matter your feelings about Comey, we must all unite against this unjust and vindictive indictment. Trump is flagrantly breaking the rules to punish his enemies. He even replaced the U.S. attorney in Eastern Virginia with Lindsey Halligan, a Trump loyalist, after the previous attorney resigned rather than participate.

And Comey set a great example with his response to the indictment. In a video posted on social media, Comey looked straight into the camera and said the following:

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.

We will not live on our knees and you shouldn't either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she's right. 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.

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

Regardless of your view of Comey, his message is powerful.

He starts by talking about his family, which shares his burden of facing unjust assault by Trump. This humanizes Comey. It shows that it’s not just one man suffering from Trump's vengeance. His entire family bears the brunt of his stand against the president.

Comey communicates boldness and defiance, but he does so calmly. He uses physical metaphors to illustrate the stakes—a choice between freedom and living “on our knees.” And he doubles down, framing Trump's fear tactics as the tools of a tyrant.

Most important: Comey uses this terrifying situation to urge others to be courageous.

“I'm not afraid and I hope you're not, either,” he said.

This is a crucial thing to say at a time when people feel true fear because of the actions of their government.

Comey also issues a clear call to action, urging his fellow Americans to stay engaged, pay attention, and vote. The moral stakes are clear: The fate of our country depends on how we respond to Trump's attacks on democracy and the rule of law.

This is how tyranny advances: one vindictive prosecution at a time.

And this is how we stop it: one act of courage at a time.