A former FBI director, James Comey, is defiantly responding to the indictment against him for allegedly making false statements and obstruction, saying he knows there are costs to standing up to President Trump but he and his family refuse to “live on our knees.”

In a video posted to Instagram, Mr. Comey addressed the charges filed late Thursday evening related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020, during which he claimed he never authorized any FBI employees to leak to the press.

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” Mr. Comey said in the video. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”

The unsealed indictment from Thursday night accuses Mr. Comey of deliberately making false statements to Congress. According to the Department of Justice, he allegedly lied to a senator during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing when he denied authorizing another FBI official to serve as an anonymous source for news organizations.

The second charge alleges obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Prosecutors claim Mr. Comey attempted to corrupt and impede the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigative authority by providing false and misleading testimony during the hearing.

If convicted, Mr. Comey could face up to five years in prison under current federal sentencing guidelines.

President Trump recently called for immediate criminal charges against several prominent political adversaries, including Mr. Comey. The timing of this indictment is notable, as the five-year statute of limitations for charging Mr. Comey with lying to Congress expires this Tuesday.

The president took to social media to gloat over the charges against Mr. Comey.

“JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey, the former Corrupt Head of the FBI. Today he was indicted by a Grand Jury on two felony counts for various illegal and unlawful acts,” he said on Truth Social. “He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”

In his video, Mr. Comey said his heart was broken for the Department of Justice and proclaimed that he was innocent of the charges against him, adding that he had “great confidence” in the federal judicial system.

“Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right,” he said. 

“But I’m not afraid, and I hope you’re not either.”