Comey’s Son-in-Law Resigns as Federal Prosecutor Minutes After Indictment

Former FBI Director James Comey’s son-in-law, Troy Edwards, quit his job as a federal prosecutor Thursday night just minutes after Comey was indicted by a grand jury on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of Congressional proceedings.

Edwards, who the Associated Press reported was sitting front row at the indictment, sent in a one-sentence resignation letter saying he quit in order to “uphold my oath to the Constitution and the Country.” It was addressed directly to Lindsey Halligan, the newly installed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who runs the office responsible for indicting Comey.

Comey was indicted by a grand jury Thursday after years of threats by President Donald Trump. More than a dozen jurors decided to indict Comey on the two charges in connection with 2020 testimony about his investigation into the 2016 presidential election — but they opted not to indict him on a third count of lying to Congress, a rare development given that grand juries rarely dismiss prosecutors’ charges.

Edwards was the deputy chief of the National Security Section, where he was responsible for handling high-profile espionage cases for the Pentagon and CIA. He was on the prosecution team that convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes of orchestrating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Comey’s daughter, Maurene Comey, was also fired in July from her role as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. She has joined a team of other fired prosecutors in suing the Trump administration over her dismissal, arguing she was terminated because of her perceived political affiliations and the fact her father had led investigations into Trump.

In a defiant video response Thursday night, James Comey vowed to fight back against the indictment, and said he and his family were prepared for retribution from the president after years of verbal attacks.

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs for standing up to Donald Trump but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” Comey said. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”

“I’m not afraid, and I hope you aren’t either,” Comey said in a close-up video wearing a suit and tie posted to Instagram on Thursday night. “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.”