America Isn’t Supposed to Have Political Prosecutions
The Atlantic reports on legal filings from former FBI director James Comey, which allege that the Trump administration is pursuing a vindictive and meritless prosecution against him. The article characterizes the legal action as an abuse of power intended to punish political defiance.
Why it matters
The piece highlights ongoing tensions regarding the politicization of the U.S. Justice Department and the erosion of traditional democratic norms.
The investigation of James Comey is vindictive and meritless—and unashamedly so.
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post / Getty July 30, 2026, 1:42 PM ET Share Save Legal filings submitted by James Comey this week argue that the Trump administration has subjected the former FBI director to a vindictive and meritless prosecution. What stands out is how little effort the president put into pretending this is not the case.
President Trump first branded Comey a criminal more than eight years ago. In 2017, he took the then-shocking step of firing Comey before the expiration of his 10-year term. The following year, Trump wrote a Twitter post claiming, “James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did—until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted.”
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