U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for jailing Chicago's mayor and the governor of Illinois, both Democrats, as his administration prepared to deploy military troops to the streets of the third-largest U.S. city.

Neither Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson nor Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been accused of criminal wrongdoing, though both have emerged as prominent opponents of Trump's immigration crackdown and deployment of national guard troops in Democratic-leaning cities. Trump's call to imprison the two elected officials comes as another high-profile political rival, former FBI Director James Comey, appeared in court to face criminal charges that have been widely criticized as flimsy. Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges that he lied to lawmakers and obstructed a congressional proceeding, setting up a trial early next year.

Trump has frequently called for jailing his opponents since he first entered politics in 2015, but Comey is the first to face prosecution.