Former FBI director James Comey is now the target of a third set of criminal charges brought by the United States administration of President Donald Trump. The sealed documents released on Monday allege that Comey ordered FBI colleagues to disclose national defence information to a reporter, violating federal law.
The indictment, filed in October, cites two counts of unlawful dissemination of “information related to national defence.” Prosecutors claim Comey directed an individual to share details about a 2016 New York Times article that revealed the FBI had ordered Yahoo to scan traffic for a computer signature linked to a terrorist organisation.
Comey has denied any wrongdoing and has not been formally indicted in this case. In a video posted on Substack, he called the charges a political retribution campaign, saying, “Well, now they’re back again. It would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice.” He added that he remains “still innocent” and “still not afraid of these people.”
Federal Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, is overseeing the case. The charges follow two earlier attempts to prosecute Comey: a September 2025 indictment for lying to Congress and obstructing a legislative proceeding, and an April 2025 indictment alleging he threatened President Trump with a social media post. Both prior cases were dismissed for procedural reasons.
Comey’s defense lawyer, Pat Fitzgerald, described the latest indictment as “feeble,” noting that the government had investigated the matter twice before and that no grand jury had approved the charges. Fitzgerald highlighted that the prosecution is using a “criminal information” to bypass a grand jury.
The Trump administration has long pursued legal action against Comey, who was dismissed as FBI director in 2017 amid investigations into alleged collusion between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. The new charges add to a growing list of legal challenges the former president’s critics face under his second term.
What to watch next: Judge McFadden’s ruling on the legality of the criminal information and any potential motions by Comey’s legal team to dismiss the charges. The case may set a precedent for how former officials are prosecuted for alleged leaks.
