Trump says 'allowed to get involved' in Comey case but any indictment up to DOJ
"I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't know," Trump said.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he could get "involved if I want" in whether his Justice Department should pursue an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, but is leaving that determination to DOJ officials.
Sources told ABC News that the newly appointed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, plans to ask a grand jury in the coming days to indict Comey for allegedly lying to Congress -- despite prosecutors and investigators determining there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
Trump was asked to comment on the matter during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Well, I can't tell you what's going to happen because I don't know," Trump said.
Trump said Halligan, whom he hand-picked for the role after Erik Siebert resigned over pressure to bring charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will be making the decision.
"I'm not making that determination," Trump said. "I think I'd be allowed to get involved if I want, but I don't really choose to do so. I can only say that Comey is a bad person. He's a sick person. I think he's a sick guy, actually. He did terrible things at the FBI. And -- but I don't know. I have no idea what's going to happen."
Comey is a longtime target of Trump's criticism over his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump fired Comey in 2017 and has repeatedly called for prosecutions related to the Russia probe, which he's called a "hoax."
Over the weekend, Trump directed a message toward Attorney General Bondi lamenting the lack of action against Comey, as well as Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California and New York's James.
“We can’t delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote on in a post to his social media platform. "They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"
The five-year statute of limitations to prosecute Comey for allegedly making false statements on Sept. 30, 2020, expires on this coming Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous, and Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.