President Donald Trump said he doesn't know whether former FBI Director James Comey will face criminal charges, after he urged prosecutors to pursue charges just five days earlier.

“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen because I don’t know,” Trump said Sept. 25. He added that prosecutors would make a determination and that he could get involved, but that he isn’t going to.

“I don’t really choose to do so,” Trump said.

According to multiple news reports, the Justice Department is weighing whether to pursue the former FBI director and major critic of Trump ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline.

Trump said “very professional people,” including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, would decide on any criminal charges.

“I can only say that Comey is a bad person,” Trump added. “He’s a sick person. I think he’s a sick guy, actually. He did horrible things at the FBI. I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

A lawyer for Comey declined to comment.

What potential charge have prosecutors looked at?

A potential charge that The New York Times and The Washington Post reported was under consideration relates to whether Comey lied to Congress when he testified virtually on Sept. 30, 2020, while COVID-19-related restrictions were in place. Much of his testimony focused on the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump. Ultimately, special counsel Robert Mueller concluded there wasn't sufficient evidence that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia.

Scottie Howell, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia, declined to comment on the news reports about a possible Comey indictment.

An actual indictment would ultimately need to be backed by a grand jury, after hearing evidence put on by a prosecutor.

Trump publicly pressured prosecutors to pursue a charge against Comey

The question of whether Comey would be charged comes after overt pressure from Trump as a deadline neared: federal law places a general five-year limit on bringing the criminal charge of lying to Congress. That five-year deadline arrives this coming Tuesday, Sept. 30.

In a Sept. 20 post on Truth Social, Trump addressed Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly, saying that Comey was "guilty as hell," without explaining what Comey was allegedly guilty of. "We can’t delay any longer," and "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!" Trump said.

In that post and in a separate post the same day, Trump said he fired Erik Siebert, who until recently had served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. By way of explanation, the president alleged Siebert was supported by Democratic senators from Virginia and "was never going to do his job."

Trump quickly appointed his former defense lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, to replace Siebert. Halligan has no previous experience as a prosecutor.

This story has been updated with additional information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he's unaware if ex-FBI chief James Comey, his frequent critic, will be charged

Reporting by Aysha Bagchi, Bart Jansen and Josh Meyer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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