Former FBI director faces charges as Trump warns Russia hoax ‘risked wars’
EXCLUSIVE: President Trump reacted to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, telling Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview that he “placed a cloud over the entire nation” with the bureau’s “Crossfire Hurricane” probe.
Comey, on Thursday evening, was indicted by a grand jury on two counts, alleged false statements within jurisdiction of the legislative branch and obstruction of congressional proceeding.
COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED FALSE STATEMENTS, OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDING
“What they did was so terrible and so corrupt,” Trump told Fox News Digital, referring to those involved in the Trump-Russia probe. “We had a great administration, though.”
Former Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok formally opened the Trump-Russia investigation, known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane” on July 31, 2016.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017. Days later Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
“He is a very corrupt person. He was absolutely a terrible man for what this country stood for,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
“Comey placed a cloud over the entire nation, and actually, the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax made it very difficult,” Trump said. “It could have caused wars.”
Fox News Digital exclusively reported in July that Comey was under criminal investigation by the FBI.
Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan is under criminal investigation related to the Trump–Russia probe.
When asked whether Brennan should be charged as well, the president told Fox News Digital: “We’ll have to see what happens.”
“It is up to the Justice Department, but I can tell you, it is a group of people that was very disappointing,” the president said. “This makes Watergate look like peanuts.”
EXCLUSIVE: FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES
He added: “They tried to destroy our country.”
Comey’s case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505.
The indictment also alleges Comey made a false statement when he stated he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, that statement was false.
His arraignment is set for 10 a.m. on Oct. 9, in Alexandria Courtroom 600 before District Juge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X. “Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
FBI Director Kash Patel took to X to say, “Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability.”
“For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust,” Patel wrote. “Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose.
“Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch.”
Meanwhile, after nearly two years, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.
Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe.
Durham found that the FBI “failed to act” on a “clear warning sign” that the bureau was the “target” of a Clinton-led effort to “manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes” ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
“The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” Durham’s report states.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS TO INDICT FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS
“Indeed, had the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, gathered and analyzed data in concert with the information from the Clinton Plan intelligence, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye,” the report continued.
Durham, in his report, said the FBI “failed to act on what should have been — when combined with other incontrovertible facts — a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.”
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In an Instagram post on Thursday, Comey acknowledged that he and his family have known for years that there are costs to standing up to President Donald Trump.
“We couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” he said. “We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t.”
Tim Allen reveals decades-long struggle after Erika Kirk’s powerful memorial speech
Tim Allen is speaking out about how Erika Kirk’s memorial speech “deeply affected” him.
On Thursday, Allen took to X to share that he was personally moved by Kirk’s forgiveness of the man who allegedly killed her husband, Charlie Kirk, since forgiveness has not been as easy for him to give.
“When Erika Kirk spoke the words on the man who killed her husband — ‘That man … that young man … I forgive him’ — that moment deeply affected me.”
ERIKA KIRK’S FORGIVENESS OF HUSBAND’S ALLEGED KILLER SPARKS WIDESPREAD ADMIRATION
“I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: ‘I forgive the man who killed my father.’ Peace be with you all,” Allen wrote.
Allen’s father died in 1964 after a drunk driver’s vehicle collided with his vehicle. Allen was 11 years old at the time of his father’s death.
“I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: ‘I forgive the man who killed my father.’ Peace be with you all.”
At Charlie’s memorial service on Sunday, Erika publicly forgave Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old who is accused of killing the Turning Point USA founder.
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Charlie “wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said.
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“Our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’ That young man … I forgive him,” Erika said. “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.”
Charlie was assassinated at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah.
Robinson was arrested and is facing several charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and violent offense in the presence of a child.
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Vance reacts to Kimmel’s first monologue since return to air after brief suspension
Vice President JD Vance said he would “love” Jimmy Kimmel to apologize to Erika Kirk and the people he “slandered” after the late-night host returned to the airwaves Tuesday after a brief suspension.
Kimmel’s show was pulled from the air after his comments on Charlie Kirk’s death drew backlash from conservatives and Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr, who warned the agency could take regulatory action.
“He [Kimmel] tries to say that he told a joke. He didn’t tell a joke. He was actually accusing right-wing America, conservative America, of killing Charlie Kirk. We now know that is false. Charlie Kirk was murdered by a left-wing assassin who was radicalized by some of the rhetoric that we see coming from the far-Left,” Vance said Thursday during an interview on “The Ingraham Angle.”
“When you accuse the people who’ve been holding prayer vigils, who have been praying about Charlie Kirk, you accuse them of killing Charlie Kirk, when we know as a left-wing assassin, you’re actually apologizing for his murder, you’re encouraging more of that violence to happen.”
The vice president continued: “If we’re going to stop this crazy strain of left-wing violence, we have to be honest about what it is, and the honest truth is that Charlie Kirk was not killed by a MAGA American. He was not killed by a Republican. He was killed by a left-wing radical. Let’s be honest about that fact, so that we can stop it from happening.”
Kimmel’s Sept. 15 remarks criticized the Republican response to Kirk’s assassination, accusing the “MAGA gang” of trying to politicize it by portraying the shooter as “anything other than one of them” to score “political points.”
Kirk’s alleged assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, surrendered to police and was charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, among others.
JIMMY KIMMEL CALLS OUT JD VANCE FOR POINTING FINGER AT THE LEFT AFTER CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION
CHARLIE KIRK ALLY DEFENDS JIMMY KIMMEL SUSPENSION OVER ‘VILE LIE’ AMID FIRST AMENDMENT CRITICISM
A family member of Robinson told investigators that he had “become more political in recent years” and disliked Kirk’s views, according to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
“Clearly there was a lot of gaming going on — friends that have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep,” Cox told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Kimmel’s first monologue since his return has drawn more than 21 million views on YouTube as of Thursday evening, and averaged 6.2 million viewers, according to The New York Times.
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His show is still being preempted by Nexstar Media and Sinclair, which own ABC-affiliated television stations.
City councilmember in Oklahoma resigns after online comments spark backlash
Bree Danyele Montoya, a city councilmember representing Norman, Oklahoma’s Ward 3, resigned effective immediately Tuesday after a Facebook comment she wrote telling a Trump supporter to harm herself resurfaced and went viral when shared by Libs of TikTok.
The resignation followed months of inaction from the city council, critics say, until the exchange gained national traction online. The City of Norman has since emphasized that while elected officials speak for themselves, it “does not support actions or behaviors that may encourage harm.”
“In various capacities, I have served this community since 2008, and I am ready to pursue other interests. Effective immediately, I am resigning as councilmember for Ward 3. Thank you, Ward 3,” Montoya said at the meeting.
The recipient of Montoya’s comments, constituent Audra Abbott, told FOX affiliate KOKH she was shocked when she realized who had written them.
“I saw that she was a city council member within moments of her posting it, and I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that an elected official would talk like that online,’” she said.
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“If it hadn’t went viral with Libs of TikTok picking it up, I don’t think that anything would have happened at all.”
Chaya Raichik, who runs Libs of TikTok, told Fox News Digital, “With a rising trend of violent left-wing extremists targeting conservatives, it is our duty to hold elected officials, such as Oklahoma City Councilor Bree Montoya, accountable for violent rhetoric, regardless of their status or position.
“While the fake news media refuses to acknowledge the truth of the rising epidemic of far-left violence, Libs of TikTok will continue to expose elected leaders who promote violence, demonize ICE, or issue threatening statements against the American people.”
NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE ZOHRAN MAMDANI DEFENDS PAST TWEETS, SAYS CUOMO ATTACKING ‘MYTHICAL VERSION’ OF HIM
In an email to Fox News Digital, Norman Chief Communications Officer Tiffany Martinez Vrska said, “The City of Norman as a municipal corporation does not support actions or behaviors that may encourage harm; carrying out municipal functions that provide or support public service remains the focus of the corporation.”
She added that elected officials speak only for themselves when making personal remarks. Officials pointed to resources explaining Norman’s council–manager government structure and how the Ward 3 vacancy will be filled in the coming weeks.
The online clash dates back to June, when Montoya and Abbott argued on Facebook about the size of a “No Kings” protest. Montoya called Abbott “uneducated” and escalated by telling her to harm herself.
Screenshots of the exchange spread in local Facebook groups during the summer before Libs of TikTok recently amplified them on social media. Abbott and others say Norman officials ignored the controversy until the post gained traction online. Montoya was first elected in 2023, re-elected in February 2025, sworn in again July 1 and resigned less than three months later.
At the Sept. 23 meeting, Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman addressed the incident.
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“As your mayor, I want to affirm our commitment to upholding the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The right to free speech is fundamental to our democracy, and it is our responsibility to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to express their opinions and be heard,” the mayor said.
“While we honor the right to free speech, we must also maintain an environment that is respectful, orderly and conducive to productive discussion,” Holman added. “My goal is to ensure that every voice in this room can be heard while maintaining the integrity and decorum of our meetings. I ask for your cooperation and mutual respect as we continue to work together for the betterment of Norman.”
Waltz calls Trump UN speech mishaps ‘unacceptable,’ vows US funds remain frozen
United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz on Thursday called mishaps during President Donald Trump’s U.N. speech “unacceptable” and vowed to withhold U.S. funding until sweeping reforms are made.
Waltz appeared on FOX Business’ “Kudlow” when host Larry Kudlow asked him about the incidents that appeared as if the U.N. was trying to sabotage the president.
Kudlow noted that the escalator malfunctioned as Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived, the teleprompter later failed, and finally the auditorium sound cut out.
Waltz added that the broadcast audio abruptly switched to Portuguese during Trump’s speech before returning to English.
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“The whole thing is unacceptable. The whole thing stinks,” Waltz said. “There’s 150 world leaders there and this only happens to him, not once, not twice, but three times.”
He said the incidents are under investigation by the Secret Service and noted the Secretary General has pledged full cooperation.
“As the ambassador, I said, you’ve got to open your doors, and some people were kind of shoulder shrugging at this,” Waltz said. “This could have been incredibly serious. It’s insulting, and it’s right here on American soil.”
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Waltz then turned to reform, criticizing the U.N.’s bloated bureaucracy and noting that seven agencies focus on climate issues alone. He argued the organization needs to be “cut up” and reformed before U.S. taxpayer money flows again.
He confirmed the U.S. has withheld its U.N. contribution this year.
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“We’ve withheld this year,” Waltz said. “We haven’t paid any and my first meeting with the Secretary General was, here are the reforms that we need to see before you start talking about taxpayer dollars.”
Waltz invoked Sen. Jesse Helms’ 1999 push to clean up the U.N. before releasing U.S. dollars, saying transparency and accountability remain essential.
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“We have every obligation to make sure it’s transparent,” he said.
Dem lawmaker denies link between Charlotte train murder and suspect’s 14 jail releases
A North Carolina state representative is under fire for saying there is “no correlation” between the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee from Ukraine, and the fact that her accused killer had been released from jail 14 times.
State Rep. Marcia Morey, a longtime Democratic lawmaker and former judge, made the comments while defending the state’s bail system. Critics argue the system has allowed violent offenders to cycle in and out of custody with little accountability.
Decarlos Brown has been described by authorities as a dangerous career criminal who was repeatedly in and out of jail before he allegedly stabbed Zarutska to death on a light rail train in Charlotte. Many believe a broken bail system allowed him to remain free despite his violent record.
CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS
Morey, one of North Carolina’s most vocal advocates for bail reform, defended her comments and went on to condemn efforts to connect the case to bail policies.
“But don’t correlate what happened in January and a magistrate who set a bail according to guidelines to what happened in August. There is no correlation,” she said during a legislative session.
Her argument has been countered by many lawmakers, who claim the tragedy shows exactly why it’s dangerous to allow repeat offenders back on the street.
NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS PASS ‘IRYNA’S LAW’ TO ELIMINATE CASHLESS BAIL AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING
Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger argued that bail reform measures designed to keep more defendants out of jail while awaiting trial are endangering public safety.
“Iryna should still be alive. She should be thriving and enjoying time with her family and friends,” Berger said. “We cannot let North Carolina be held hostage by woke, weak-on-crime policies and court officials who prioritize criminals over justice for victims. We are also taking steps to revive the death penalty for those who commit the most heinous crimes.”
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However, supporters of bail reform argue the system unfairly punishes low-income defendants who cannot afford release.
Families of victims like Zarutska, on the other hand, believe the consequences are deadly when repeat offenders are given chance after chance.
Kamala Harris’ word salad makes comeback at start of her nationwide book tour
NEW YORK — Former Vice President Kamala Harris tried to quell a nine-month-pregnant mom’s concerns over having a baby boy under the Trump administration, resurrecting a campaign phrase celebrating the “children of the community.”
“Part of how I was raised to think about things was that the children of the community are our children of the community. And we all have some, I think, responsibility — you can call it a moral responsibility, you can think of it in different ways — but to be invested in their well-being and success,” Harris said Wednesday evening from The Town Hall theater venue in Midtown Manhattan.
Harris was in New York City to launch her book tour to promote “107 Days,” which offers a detailed and personal retelling of her days on the 2024 presidential campaign trail after then-President Joe Biden dropped out amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity.
KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK, MEDIA TOUR SLAMMED BY LIBERAL CRITICS AS ‘EMBARRASSING’ AND ‘UNHELPFUL’
Harris only took a couple questions from the audience, including one from a nine-month-pregnant mom who was concerned about raising a son with a “good heart and moral compass” under “this current political climate.”
Harris quelled the mom’s concerns by reassuring her she would teach her son how to be “strong,” which would catapult him to “role model” status as an adult.
“To teach that our own children, that that is the way that we expect that they will live, which is to see the connection between themselves and others, to see the interdependence between themselves and others, and to have a sense of understanding that it’s a sign of strength to lift other people up,” she continued.
BERNIE URGED HARRIS TO FOCUS ‘ON THE WORKING CLASS, NOT JUST ON ABORTION,’ BOOK REVEALS
Harris argued that President Donald Trump has a “perverse notion” that strength is measured by “who you beat down,” which she rejected.
“I used to talk about it a lot in those 107 days, which is this perverse notion that is absolutely being pushed by this guy in the White House, which is to suggest that the measure of strength is based on who you beat down,” she said. “Instead, what I think everyone here understands, which is the true measure of strength, is based on who you lift up.”
KAMALA HARRIS BREAKS SILENCE ON BIDEN DROPOUT, ADMITS SHE HAS REGRETS ABOUT HER HANDLING OF SITUATION
Harris added that she was excited about the future of the unborn baby under his mom’s leadership.
“You’re going to teach him to be strong in every way that is important, and he will be a role model,” she continued. “And we are very, very excited for the future of that child.”
Harris repeatedly has used the phrase “the children of the community are the children of the community” while speaking during public events, including as vice president and when she was running for the presidency in 2024.
Conservative critics and others frequently mocked Harris’ “word salad” comments during the election cycle, including in September 2024 when she tied inflation to her “children of the community” phrase.
“I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential,” Harris said, explaining she wanted to lower the cost of groceries for struggling families and vowing to take on big corporations who gouged customers.
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Harris kicked off her book tour in New York City before traveling to cities from coast to coast to promote her new book, which was released Tuesday.
Her roughly hourlong conversation Wednesday evening included taking a few shots at Trump, as well as celebrating how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served as her mentor and supporter throughout the 2024 election.
Seahawks’ celebration turns to disaster as bizarre fumble gives Cardinals new life
The Seattle Seahawks suffered an unfortunate miscue in the first quarter of their game against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray dropped back to pass with about 8:58 left in the first quarter. He was looking for second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. up the seam, but he misfired and threw the ball to Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant.
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Bryant was looking to make a bigger play when he ran into his own teammate, linebacker Tyrice Knight, and fumbled the ball. The Cardinals recovered the ball and received a new set of downs.
Seahawks players thought they secured the turnover and started to celebrate in the end zone. But officials determined that it was the Cardinals’ ball. Arizona finished the new drive with a field goal to take an early lead.
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Social media weighed in on the calamitous play.
Harrison and Murray were a part of a second turnover in the second quarter. Murray targeted Harrison on a crossing route. The former Ohio State standout bobbled the ball and it landed in the hands of linebacker Ernest Jones IV.
Seattle took a 14-3 lead into halftime.
Darnold was 8-for-10 with 123 passing yards and a touchdown pass to A.J. Barner. Running back Zach Charbonnet scored a touchdown with about a minute before the end of the second quarter.
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Murray was 12-for-19 with 67 passing yards. Trey McBride was leading Arizona in receiving with five catches for 39 yards.
Family strikes it rich after budget birthday trip leads to dazzling discovery
Oklahoma family members recently hit the jackpot when they found an impressive diamond at an Arkansas state park this month – with tools they bought at a dollar store.
The discovery, made at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, was announced by Arkansas State Parks on Sept. 23.
A family from Cookson, Oklahoma, some 65 miles southeast of Tulsa, made the discovery on Sept. 13.
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Officials said that visitor Raynae Madison and her family visited the Natural State to celebrate the birthday of Madison’s nephew, William.
During the trip, they decided to stop by Crater of Diamonds State Park to try their luck at digging gems, according to a press release.
“To prepare for their visit, they purchased a beach digging kit and sand sifting tools from a dollar store,” the press release noted.
“The family picked a spot to dig on the north side of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area, near Prospector Trailhead.”
ELITE ROMAN FAMILY’S ANCIENT TREASURE UNEARTHED IN RUINS OF FIRE-SCORCHED DWELLING
The family dug a few buckets’ worth of dirt before they began sifting through their screens – which is when Madison noticed “an unusual oblong, shiny stone.”
The aunt told officials that she thought the find was “really neat,” at first, but had no idea what it was.
“[Brown diamonds] reflect red and green light, combining to make the diamond appear brown.”
“I honestly thought it was too big to be a diamond!” she said.
The gem was then identified to be a brown diamond weighing 2.79 carats – an impressively hefty find for the state park.
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Madison opted to name it the William Diamond, for her nephew.
“Brown diamonds from the Crater occur due to a process called plastic deformation, which creates structural defects during a diamond’s formation or movement in magma,” park interpreter Emma O’Neal said of the find.
“These defects reflect red and green light, combining to make the diamond appear brown.”
Arkansas State Parks does not disclose the value of gems found at their park, and their website notes that the “exact value” of many diamonds is unknown until they are cut or appraised.
“Park staff do not grade or appraise diamonds,” the site states.
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So far, 403 diamonds have been found at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2025 – four of which have weighed over two carats.
Earlier this year, a Minnesota farmer found a “candy-like” diamond that he compared to a Werther’s candy wrapper.
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In 2024, a French visitor found a 7.46-carat diamond at the park. The tourist, Julien Navas, named the gem after his fiancée, Carine.