Former FBI director James Comey was indicted on Thursday on two criminal counts as US President Donald Trump intensified a campaign of retribution against political foes.
The charges came days after Mr Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Mr Comey and others he sees as enemies - a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free of White House pressure.
Mr Comey, a prominent critic of the President, was charged with making false statements and obstruction of justice in connection with the probe he conducted into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election that Mr Trump won and if he colluded with the Russians.
Mr Trump hailed the indictment, saying Mr Comey is "one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to".
The President has carried out a relentless blitz in his second term against enemies, real and perceived, but the charges against Mr Comey are the most dramatic yet.
The former FBI chief faces up to five years in prison if convicted according to federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, who was appointed by Mr Trump only days ago. She is a former personal lawyer to the president who has no experience as a prosecutor.
"No one is above the law," Ms Bondi said as the Justice Department announced charges against Comey for committing "serious crimes."
Mr Trump said earlier on Thursday he has nothing to do with the charging of Mr Comey, but he had already hinted publicly that he appointed Ms Halligan to go after him and others.
In a video posted on Instagram, Mr Comey said "I'm not afraid" and denied any wrongdoing.
Russian influence
Mr Trump fired Mr Comey in 2017 amid a probe into whether any members of the Trump campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 presidential vote.
During Mr Trump's second term, Mr Comey has been an outspoken critic of what he says are the president's efforts to use the justice system as a tool for political gain.
The President's first stint in the White House was dogged by controversy over Russian involvement in trying to influence the 2016 election in which he surprised many by winning the White House - as well as his own links to Russia.
Since returning to power this year, he has moved quickly to use his powers to attack the investigation into the election.
His intelligence chiefs have issued reports casting the original investigations as politically motivated and flawed. Mr Trump himself repeatedly calls the entire issue the "Russia hoax."
However, the intelligence community's original findings that Russia meddled in the tumultuous 2016 US election have been backed up by committees both in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Ms Halligan, the prosecutor, was working under intense pressure from Trump because the five-year statute of limitations on Comey's testimony to Congress that is at the heart of the case expires Tuesday.
She was appointed to the high-profile post of US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia following the resignation last week of the previous US attorney, Erik Siebert.
Mr Siebert stepped down after reportedly telling Justice Department leaders there was insufficient evidence to charge Comey or New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is also in Trump's crosshairs for bringing a civil case against him for business fraud.
