In brief
In a third legal confrontation, ex‑FBI chief James Comey has been charged with leaking national defence information reportedly to the New York Times in October 2016. The indictment comes as a criminal information filed directly by a prosecutor, bypassing a grand jury, and follows prior cases accusing him of lying to Congress and threatening former President Donald Trump via an Instagram post. Comey’s lawyers argue that earlier investigations found no charges and that the new filing may be barred by the ten‑year statute of limitations. The case unfolds amid accusations that the Trump administration is pursuing political retribution, while a federal judge recently ordered the reinstatement of Comey’s daughter who was fired during the same year.
Federal prosecutors have filed new criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey for alleged leakage of national defence information. The three‑page filing accuses Comey of disclosing classified material to the New York Times in October 2016 while he headed the bureau.
This marks the third prosecution attempt on Comey, a longtime critic of President Donald Trump, following prior cases that charged him with lying to Congress and with threatening Trump through an Instagram post.
In a video posted to Substack, Comey denied any wrongdoing, calling the new indictment an 'appalling abuse' of the Justice Department and insisting he remains innocent.
His lawyers note that prosecutors had previously examined the alleged disclosure twice during the first Trump administration and found no evidence to bring charges. The motion to dismiss is pending, with former prosecutor Glenn Kirschner suggesting the case may be time‑barred and purely revenge‑driven.
The indictment was filed as a criminal information, a written statement that bypasses the grand jury requirement. This procedural difference highlights the political stakes surrounding the case.
Earlier in the year, Comey faced a separate charge stemming from a 2025 Instagram post in which a photo of seashells read “86 47”, a phrase that prosecutors interpret as a threat to President Trump. That case remains active.
The new charges were disclosed on the same day a federal judge, ruling against the Trump administration, ordered the firing of Comey’s daughter, Maurene, to be rescinded and her pay restored.
