Former FBI director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to two charges of making false statements to lawmakers and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
His 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 US President Donald Trump, was being targeted.
Mr Comey was indicted a few days after Trump urged his attorney general to take action against him. After Mr Comey's lawyer requested a speedy trial, the judge set a date of 5 January.
Both the prosecution and defence expected the trial to last just two or three days.
In court on Wednesday, Mr Comey's lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald told the judge that they planned to file several motions to dismiss the case before a trial, arguing the prosecution was vindictive and that a US attorney had been unlawfully appointed to take over the case.
Mr Comey was fired as FBI director in 2017, about four months into Trump's first term as president. At the time, Mr Comey had been leading an investigation into Russian election interference and whether there were any links between Moscow and Trump's campaign.
The federal government alleges Mr Comey lied to Congress during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in September 2020, when he was being questioned about both the Russia election probe and an investigation into Trump's 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.
He told the hearing that he had not authorised someone at the FBI to leak information about the investigations - a statement the Justice Department alleges was untrue and therefore misleading.
Prosecutors also accuse Mr Comey of corruptly endeavor[ing] to influence, obstruct and impede the panel by making false statements to it.
Mr Comey's case was originally overseen by Erik Siebert, a Virginia prosecutor who resigned under pressure from Trump, after his investigation into another political adversary failed to bring criminal charges. Trump then appointed Lindsey Halligan to replace him, who secured a grand jury indictment against Mr Comey less than a week into the job.
Comey appeared in good spirits as he entered the courtroom on Wednesday, chatting with his attorneys and making jokes. He was joined by his wife, Patrice Failor, and daughter Maureen Comey, a federal prosecutor whom the Trump administration recently fired.
After listening to the judge read his rights and the two counts against him in court, Mr Comey was asked if he understood the charges. I do, your honour. Thank you very much, he told the court.
The charges each carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $200,000 fine.
Mr Comey, in a video posted to Instagram after his indictment, emphasized his innocence and expressed his willingness to face a trial, stating, My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump... I'm innocent. So let's have a trial.
