James Comey faces third set of criminal charges under President Trump
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Former FBI director James Comey has been charged for allegedly directing the disclosure of national defence information, marking the third criminal action taken against him since President Trump returned to office in 2025.
Former FBI director James Comey has been accused of two counts of unlawfully disseminating national defence information, according to sealed court documents released on Monday. The charges represent the third criminal case filed against Comey since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Comey instructed an associate to provide a reporter with classified details related to a 2016 New York Times story about Yahoo's email scanning practices. The filing states that "the defendant [Comey] through one or more co-conspirators directed Individual #1 to disclose national defence information to a reporter for a national news publication."
Comey, who has denied any wrongdoing, described the prosecution as a politically motivated effort in a video posted on Substack, saying he remains "innocent" and continues to trust an independent judiciary.
His attorney, Pat Fitzgerald, argued that the government had previously investigated the matter twice and found no basis for charges. Fitzgerald noted that the current filing uses a "criminal information" procedure, which bypasses a grand jury, and claimed the charges are unfounded.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, is overseeing the case in Washington, D.C. The latest indictment follows earlier attempts to prosecute Comey, including a dismissed 2025 indictment for lying to Congress and a pending case alleging a threatening social-media post.
In a related ruling, a federal judge ordered the reinstatement and back pay of Comey's daughter, former assistant U.S. attorney Maurene Comey, finding her 2024 termination unlawful.