James Comey, the former director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, has pleaded not guilty to making false statements to lawmakers and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Mr. Comey's lawyer entered the plea on his behalf in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday morning.
Patrick Fitzgerald said he would seek to have the case dismissed for several reasons, including that his client, a critic of President Donald Trump, was being targeted.
Mr. Comey was indicted just days after Trump urged his attorney general to take action against him.
A judge set a trial date for January 5 after Mr. Comey's lawyers requested a speedy trial.
Both the prosecution and defense expect the trial to last just two to three days.
In court, Comey's lawyer told the judge they planned to file several motions to dismiss the case, citing vendetta and questioning the legality of the case's oversight.
Comey's situation comes as Trump appointed a new prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, to the case shortly after Erik Siebert resigned under pressure after failing to bring charges against another political adversary.
Although the prosecution alleged Comey misled Congress during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing regarding the Clinton investigation and the Russian probe, Comey maintains his innocence.
In an Instagram video post after his indictment, he decried Trump's actions as tyrannical and stated, I'm innocent. So let's have a trial. The charges against Mr. Comey carry potential penalties of up to five years in prison and fines.
Mr. Comey served as the FBI Director from 2013 to 2017 and was fired in 2017 while leading investigations into Russian interference in the elections.
