Former FBI Director James Comey is facing new federal charges brought by the Justice Department, according to a charging document made public on Monday. Prosecutors allege that Comey directed the disclosure of national defense information to a reporter through one or more co-conspirators in October 2016, while he was heading the bureau.
The filing marks the third time the administration has brought charges against Comey, who has remained a frequent target of presidential criticism since his dismissal during the first term in 2017. The newly unsealed case includes counts of participating in the transmission of national defense information and conspiracy to transmit national defense information. According to the court records, the matter had been operating under seal since early October.
Defense attorney Patrick Fitzgerald addressed the filing in a public statement shared to Comey’s social media channels, stating that the former bureau chief steadfastly maintains his innocence and intends to contest the allegations. Fitzgerald noted that the prosecution centers on an article published on October 5, 2016, which had previously been examined by two separate teams of prosecutors during the first Trump administration. According to Fitzgerald, both previous investigative teams declined to pursue charges at the time. He also expressed approval of U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden’s decision to unseal the case.
Representatives for the Justice Department and the White House did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comment on the unsealed filing.
The development recalls the protracted friction following Comey’s 2017 firing, which occurred while the bureau was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. That dismissal prompted the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel. Mueller’s subsequent 2019 report detailed extensive foreign election interference but did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia.
The public release of the charges coincided with a separate federal judicial ruling finding that the administration unlawfully terminated Comey’s daughter, Maurene Comey. She is a former federal prosecutor who previously handled notable cases involving Jeffrey Epstein and Sean Combs.
