Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday on charges of lying to Congress after President Donald Trump pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his political enemies. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff set his trial date for Jan. 5, although Comey’s legal team expressed a desire to avoid a trial completely. The ex-FBI chief showed up early to the Alexandria, Virginia, courthouse to make his plea as a small group of supporters held signs outside. “SHOW TRIAL,” read one. “TRUMPED UP CHARGES,” read another.While members of his family were spotted at the courthouse entrance, Comey was able to enter and exit through an unseen door. Comey has been a target of Trump’s ire since his first administration, when the FBI director launched an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion on the part of Trump’s campaign.Patrice Failor (C), wife of James Comey, walks with daughters Maurene Comey (R) and Claire Comey (L) as they arrive for his arraignment hearing at the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse.ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS via Getty ImagesThe charges against him stem from a congressional hearing held in September 2020; his indictment came just days before the five-year statute of limitations was set to run out. Comey is accused of lying when he said he stood by earlier testimony, given in 2017, about whether he “authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports.”Prosecutors allege that he actually had authorized a leak to news outlets, although charging documents do not reveal the outlets in question or what the leak pertained to. It is believed — in a bizarre twist of fate — to relate to the FBI probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server, which Trump had seized on in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election to attack his opponent.Demonstrators hold signs outside the Alexandria courthouse.Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesComey’s lawyer told the judge Wednesday that their team had still not been given those precise details, according to The New York Times. Trump has cheered the indictment as a supposed victory for justice, although the case is widely considered to be a flimsy one. The Justice Department reportedly forced out U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert after he told his bosses that the case against Comey was weak. Seibert was replaced by White House adviser Lindsey Halligan, who has no prior experience as a prosecutor. Comey’s lawyers signaled they will move to dismiss the case by arguing that Halligan’s appointment was not technically valid, per The New York Times. Another individual, an FBI agent, was reportedly fired for refusing to stage a highly publicized “perp walk” for Comey last month.Prosecutors who have been involved in the Comey investigation determined that a key witness would likely prove detrimental to the case if it were tried in court, according to ABC News. Sources told the outlet that Daniel Richman, a law professor, is the individual Comey supposedly told to speak to the press, but Richman says Comey never did such a thing.Comey maintains his innocence. “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,” he said in a video after his indictment.“We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right, but I’m not afraid, and I hope you’re not either,” he said. “I hope instead you are engaged, you are paying attention and you will vote like your beloved country depends upon it, which it does.”