James Comey, the former FBI director and long-standing critic of Donald Trump, has been charged with obstruction of justice and lying to Congress.
The American lawyer, 64, is accused of making false statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee while testifying about whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
Responding to the indictment, Mr Comey claimed he was innocent, adding that he had "great confidence in the federal judicial system".
It comes after Mr Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate his political adversaries, including Mr Comey.
The investigation is being fronted by Lindsey Halligan, who was previously Mr Trump's personal lawyer.
Bondi said the charges "reflects this Department of Justice's commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people".
When Comey appeared for the congressional hearing in 2020, beamed in remotely from Virginia because of coronavirus restrictions, it had been nearly four years since Mr Trump sacked him as FBI chief.
His successor Robert Mueller took over the probe into Mr Trump’s campaign, which discovered numerous contacts between the Republican campaign and Russian officials.
Mr Comey told congressmen that he had not "authorised someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports".
However, Mr Mueller’s 2019 report concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy.
According to CBS News, Mr Comey is set to appear at a court in Alexandria on the morning of October 9.
If found guilty by a jury, Mr Comey — the first FBI director to be indicted for a crime — could face up to five years in prison.
On Thursday, Mr Comey posted a video on social media stating: "My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump."
His lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald added in a statement: "We look forward to vindicating him in the courtroom."
Following his indictment, Mr Trump called Mr Comey "one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to".
Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "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. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
