James Comey, the previous director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is going through a 3rd set of prison expenses below the administration of United States President Donald Trump.
On Monday, sealed paperwork got here to mild exhibiting that the Trump administration has accused Comey of two counts associated to the illegal dissemination of “data associated to nationwide defence”.
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Comey, a high-profile Trump critic, has not been indicted within the case. He has denied any wrongdoing.
However it’s the third time the Trump administration has sought to degree prison expenses towards the previous FBI director for the reason that president returned to workplace in January 2025.
In an October court filing, prosecutors accuse Comey of ordering his FBI colleagues to leak data to the information media.
“The defendant [Comey] via a number of co-conspirators directed Particular person #1 to reveal nationwide defence data to a reporter for a nationwide information publication,” the court docket submitting reads.
In a video revealed on the net platform Substack, Comey as soon as once more denounced the Trump administration’s makes an attempt to prosecute him as a marketing campaign of political retribution.
“Properly, now they’re again once more. it might virtually be humorous if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Division of Justice, one which we can not develop into numb to,” Comey mentioned.
“Nothing’s modified with me. I’m nonetheless harmless, and I’m nonetheless not afraid of those folks, and I nonetheless consider within the impartial federal judiciary.”
Comey additionally famous that Trump is simply halfway via his second time period, and he hinted that he expects extra prison expenses to return his approach.
“The subsequent couple years are going to be onerous for all of us,” Comey added. “It’s actually vital that we stand straight and hold the religion in America.”
The most recent expenses pertain to a New York Occasions article from October 5, 2016, which describes how the e-mail platform Yahoo was ordered to scan site visitors on its website for a selected pc signature allegedly tied to a “terrorist” organisation.
Prosecutors have accused Comey of directing delicate data to be disclosed to the reporter on that story, Charlie Savage.
In a press release launched to information media, Comey’s defence lawyer Pat Fitzgerald framed the fees as feeble, claiming that the federal government had already investigated the matter twice earlier than.
“Each occasions the Authorities decided that no expenses must be introduced towards anybody,” the assertion mentioned.
Fitzgerald identified that authorities prosecutors had not sought an indictment — which entails presenting expenses to a grand jury, which should then select whether or not to approve the prison expenses.
As a substitute, they’re in search of to cost Comey via a course of known as a “prison data”, which permits prosecutors to bypass a grand jury.
“Ten years after the article was revealed, the Authorities filed an ‘Info’ towards Mr. Comey that was not authorized by a choose nor issued by a grand jury,” Fitzgerald mentioned. “It purports to cost Mr. Comey with crimes that he didn’t commit.”
Federal Decide Trevor McFadden, from the US District Courtroom in Washington, DC, is overseeing the case. He’s a Trump appointee.
Trump has lengthy sought the prosecution of Comey, whom he fired from the function of FBI director in 2017, throughout his first time period as president.
Comey had been FBI head since 2013. However his dismissal got here because the FBI investigated the opportunity of collusion between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign — a probe that Trump has repeatedly denounced as a “hoax”.
Following Trump’s second inauguration in 2025, his administration has sought the prosecution of a number of of the president’s critics, together with Comey.
In September 2025, Trump appeared to request that then-Legal professional Basic Pam Bondi look into Comey and different perceived political adversaries.
“Nothing is being achieved. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia???” Trump wrote to Bondi in a social media post, referencing the previous FBI director, a Democratic senator and New York Legal professional Basic Letitia James. “They’re all responsible as hell, however nothing goes to be achieved.”
Trump concluded his put up by telling Bondi to not “delay any longer” earlier than pursing the three critics.
“JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW,” he wrote.
5 days later, on September 25 of that 12 months, Comey was indicted on expenses of mendacity to Congress and obstructing a legislative continuing.
The case was finally dismissed on the premise that the prosecutor in cost, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed.
A second indictment got here on April 28. In that case, the Trump administration accused Comey of threatening the president by posting a photograph on social media of seashells, organized to kind the message “86 47”.
Forty-seven is a reference to Trump, the forty seventh president, and “86” is a rhyming phrase for “nix”, frequent within the service business as code for throwing out a dish or buyer.
The Trump administration, nonetheless, has argued that “86” implies violence. That case is ongoing.
Earlier on Monday, earlier than the third set of expenses was revealed, a federal choose in a separate case dominated that Comey’s daughter, former assistant US lawyer Maurene Comey, had been unlawfully fired final 12 months below Trump’s second time period.
The youthful Comey has maintained her termination was retaliation towards her father. The court docket dominated she was entitled to “retroactive reinstatement” and backpay.
James Comey has denied all accusations of prison wrongdoing, and his authorized crew has sought to have the newest set of expenses dismissed.
