ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former FBI Director James B. Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday on federal charges that he lied to Congress and obstructed a congressional proceeding, in a case critics cast as part of President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against political foes.

Judge Michael Nachmanoff in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, a Biden appointee, set a Jan. 5 trial date and signaled he would not let proceedings drag on in the case.

Patrick Fitzgerald, an attorney for Comey, entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the former FBI director and told the court his client is “anxious” to get a speedy trial.

A federal grand jury indicted Comey last month on the charges days after Trump publicly demanded that the Justice Department prosecute his perceived enemy

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