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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 8, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Ryan J. ReillyWASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey will appear in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday for his arraignment on charges brought after a public campaign by President Donald Trump to prosecute him.A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Comey, whom Trump fired during his first term in office, on two charges last month: making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.Trump had posted just days earlier on his social media platform, calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge Comey. “We can’t delay any longer,” he wrote.Special Report: Former FBI Director James Comey indicted on two counts16:17Comey, who was a registered Republican and served in the Justice Department during the George W. Bush administration, became the subject of Trump’s ire after he helped spark special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.The Trump administration accuses Comey of lying to Congress about having authorized a third party to speak anonymously to the media about an FBI investigation. Comey told Congress in 2017 he did not authorize any leaks related to an investigation, and he told the Senate again in 2020, “I stand by the testimony.”Comey is expected to be presented with the charges and plead not guilty at Wednesday’s hearing, which begins at 10 a.m.The charges were filed after Trump successfully pressured the acting head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia to resign. Trump then named one of his former personal attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, to head the office, though she has no prosecutorial experience. And Halligan presented the case against Comey to a grand jury by herself, which is highly unusual and raised additional red flags about the merits of the case.Halligan sought three charges, but 12 or more of the grand jurors found that there was not probable cause to indict him on one of the charges. Most of the grand jurors found there was probable cause to charge Comey with making false statements to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.Comey is set to appear before U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff. In addition to Halligan, two prosecutors from a separate U.S. attorney’s office in North Carolina — Nathaniel Lemons and Gabriel J. Diaz — were added to the case.No electronics are allowed in the Alexandria courthouse, meaning news about the arraignment may take a while to emerge.Trump has called for charges to be filed against other political foes since he began his second term, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.A group of former federal judges warned last week that the case against Comey presented a “grave danger” to the rights and liberties of every American as “President Donald Trump continues to corruptly abuse the power of his office by directing the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to target his critics and his perceived political enemies for investigation and criminal prosecution.”Ryan J. ReillyRyan J. Reilly is a justice reporter for NBC News.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

The charges against the former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation came amid the president’s repeated calls for investigations of his political opponents.

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Oct. 7, 2025, 4:32 PM EDTBy Minyvonne BurkeOriginal artwork from painter and TV host Bob Ross will be auctioned off to help support public television stations after the Trump administration cut funding. The auction house Bonhams said in a statement that 30 of Ross’ paintings will be sold at different auctions. The first auction is set Nov. 11 as part of its California and Western Art sale. Three of Ross’ pieces will be included: “Cliffside,” painted in 1990; “Winter’s Peace,” painted in 1993; and “Home in the Valley,” painted in 1993. Ross’ signature is on the lower left side of all three paintings. Bob Ross’ “Home in the Valley.”Bob Ross / via Bonhams”Bob Ross dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone through public television. This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades,” Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc., said in a statement.The auctions of the 30 paintings have an estimated total value of $850,000 to $1.4 million, Bonhams said.In May, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end public funding of National Public Radio and PBS to stop what he called “biased and partisan news coverage.”The White House previously said in a statement that the organizations received “tens of millions of dollars” in taxpayers’ dollars to spread “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.'”Under the order, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was directed to cease funding to NPR and PBS to the extent allowed by law.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

Original artwork from painter and TV host Bob Ross will be auctioned off to help support public television stations after the Trump administration cut funding.

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Oct. 7, 2025, 7:31 PM EDTBy Henry J. Gomez, Matt Dixon and Jonathan AllenAs President Donald Trump clashes with Democratic governors over his push to deploy federalized National Guard troops to their cities, several former Republican governors are raising concerns about strong-arm tactics and constitutional crises — while also noting that the president has wide latitude to deploy the guard.The three former governors, who have long histories of criticizing Trump, also expressed a sense of resignation, saying they believe he will charge ahead unless the courts rein him in.“This is infuriating,” former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who left the Republican Party in 2022 after years of opposing Trump and endorsing his opponents, said in an interview. “It is stoking resentment and fanning the flames. But as a governor there is nothing you can do to really stop the president from federalizing the guard.” Christine Todd Whitman said governors don’t have much power to stop the president from federalizing the National Guard.Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileFormer Ohio Gov. John Kasich expressed concern with the communication between the Trump administration and state and local officials.“I would say: ‘Here are my problems. What can you do to help me? Work with me. Don’t just shove stuff down my throat,’” said Kasich, a Republican who ran against Trump in the 2016 GOP presidential primaries and has since been a prominent anti-Trump voice in the party. While these former governors are critics, their perspectives as former chief executives of their states are instructive when active Republicans dealing with the White House and its political objectives on a daily basis are less inclined to publicly scrutinize Trump.Sitting GOP governors were less eager to weigh in on the matter, which could escalate if Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, a step he said he would consider if resistance from mayors, governors and courts makes it “necessary.” Roughly a dozen GOP governors, through their spokespeople, either declined or have not yet responded to requests for comment. “Uninformed criticisms from irrelevant former politicians shouldn’t be given the time of day,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an emailed statement. “President Trump is lawfully taking action to protect federal officers and assets amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness that Democrat leaders, like [Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom] have refused to quell. Why aren’t these washed up nobodies concerned with Democrat inaction to address violent crime and riots?” The political fallout is falling largely along partisan lines. The White House has cast Trump’s desire to send troops into Democratic-run cities and states as an effort to curb crime and protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and facilities that administration officials say are being targeted by rioters. Trump most recently has called for deploying federalized guard members to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, drawing pushback and lawsuits from the Democratic governors in those states.A Trump ally, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, is on record embracing the administration’s efforts, writing Sunday on X that he had “fully authorized” Trump to deploy 400 Texas National Guard members to other states. And Trump’s push to mobilize the National Guard and other federal law enforcement agencies in Memphis, Tennessee, has met with support there from Republican Gov. Bill Lee.“You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let [the] Texas Guard do it,” Abbott wrote in his social media post. “No Guard can match the training, skill, and expertise of the Texas National Guard.”Peter Finocchio, a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, did not specifically address the recent developments in Oregon and Illinois but described the governor’s administration as supportive of Trump’s goals. Finocchio noted the Virginia National Guard’s mobilization last month of about 40 soldiers and airmen to “provide administrative and logistics support to ICE at locations across the Commonwealth.” The mission, Finocchio added, is expected to continue through Nov. 15. At a news conference Monday, Pritzker suggested that Trump was trying to sow unrest so he can invoke the Insurrection Act. The measure — which allows the president to mobilize the U.S. military to conduct civilian law enforcement activities under certain circumstances — was last used during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.“The Trump administration is following a playbook: Cause chaos, create fear and confusion, make it seem like peaceful protesters are a mob by firing gas pellets and tear gas canisters at them,” Pritzker said. Pritzker also threatened this week to withdraw from the National Governors Association if the nonpartisan group does not take a stand against Trump’s National Guard moves.Illinois sued Monday to block the Trump administration from deploying troops to Chicago. A judge declined to immediately block the administration’s move and instead scheduled a hearing for Thursday. Oregon AG: Trump shouldn’t deploy troops to cities unless under ‘extreme circumstances’02:44Earlier, a federal judge in Oregon had blocked the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard members from California or other states to Portland’s streets. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, had also blocked the administration from deploying Oregon National Guard troops in Portland.“I think it’s a real constitutional dilemma that is unprecedented and it will have to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court,” said former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who briefly challenged Trump for last year’s Republican presidential nomination.“It’s difficult for the courts to step in and say, ‘We’re going to override the executive branch,’” added Hutchinson, a former U.S. attorney who stressed that he was offering more analysis than personal opinion.Hutchinson noted that he approved the deployment of Arkansas National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to protect federal assets in late January 2021, after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and before the inauguration. He also noted that in 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne Division to Arkansas to enforce integration at Little Rock Central High School over the objections of then-Gov. Orval Faubus, who had mobilized the state national guard to stop Black students from entering the school.“He was enforcing federal law as interpreted by the courts,” Hutchinson said of Eisenhower. “There’s a lot of latitude given to the president.”Whitman, who also was President George W. Bush’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator, suggested that governors could try to wrestle the bully pulpit away from Trump.“There is going to be crime in cities and small towns,” she said. “Unfortunately, it happens when humans get together, but that’s vastly different than cities burning down. I remember the ’60s when the cities were burning. That is not happening. We have mostly peaceful protests outside ICE offices. … If you are a governor, go walk the streets and take the press. There are periods where you will have drug users and homeless, and you need to be up front about that. You have to show what is and is not true, use visuals.”White House denies Trump aims to ‘take over’ cities with the military01:18Kasich, who said he was upset about a recent aggressive ICE operation involving a helicopter at a Chicago apartment complex, urged more pragmatic discussions about crime and immigration. Kasich marveled at the success that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has had in courting the president on initiatives important to her state. Whitmer, like Pritzker and California’s Newsom, another Democrat opposed to Trump’s deployments, is seen as a potential White House contender in 2028.“Everybody’s running for president, but I can’t blame it all on them, either,” Kasich said. “There’s not much communication coming the other way,” from the Trump administration to the governors. Whitman was blunter when assessing the partisan politics, asserting that Trump is “absolutely” targeting Democratic states.“And what I want to say to Republicans who voted for him in those states,” Whitman added, “is, ‘How is that working out for you? Are you happy?’”Henry J. GomezHenry J. Gomez is a senior national political reporter for NBC NewsMatt DixonMatt Dixon is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News, based in Florida.Jonathan AllenJonathan Allen is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News. Zoë Richards contributed.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

As Trump clashes with Democratic governors, several former Republican governors are raising concerns about strong-arm tactics and constitutional crises.

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