According to a court document made public on Monday, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey has been charged with federal crimes for the third time.
New allegations in the case claim that Comey knowingly transmitted defense-related information to individuals who were not authorized to receive it. He is also accused of conspiring with others to violate laws prohibiting the sharing of such information.
The criminal indictment from the United States District Court for the Federal District of Washington, D.C., alleges that Comey, "through one or more conspirators," instructed an unnamed individual to "disclose defense information to a journalist from a national news publication."
During the tenure of President Donald Trump, Comey became a target of the United States Department of Justice on several occasions. In 2017, Trump dismissed him from his position as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Since then, the two have been engaged in intense mutual criticism.
Komi is currently seeking to have a prosecution obtained by the Department of Justice in a federal court in North Carolina revoked. In that case, he was accused of threatening Trump's life for posting a photo of beach shells on social media. Previously, he also successfully had another accusation revoked; that case accused him of perjury before Congress.
Just hours before the release of this new criminal indictment, a federal judge in New York ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to remove Comey's daughter, Maureen Comey, from her position as an assistant to the federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York last year was illegal.
In a video published on Substack, James Comey mentioned the new case and said, "Well, here they come again—once more."
He said, "If this weren't such a shocking abuse of the Justice Department, it would almost seem ridiculous, and we cannot afford to become accustomed to such things." He added, "There has been no change on my side. I am still innocent. I am still not afraid of these people, and I still believe in an independent federal judicial system."
Komi said, "I am still very lucky to have an amazing family and a group of outstanding lawyers who will stand up in court to fight for this latest case and whatever may happen thereafter." He also said, "The coming years will be difficult for all of us. It is very important that we stay strong and continue to believe in America."
In a lawsuit that has not yet been concluded in North Carolina, Comey was accused in late April of threatening Trump's life for posting a photo on Instagram that showed beach shells arranged to form the numbers "86 47".
The prosecution claims that the number “86” – which is commonly used by restaurants to indicate that a particular menu item is no longer available – is a code suggesting that someone should assassinate Trump; Trump is the 47th President of the United States.
Komi denies any improper conduct in this case and is seeking for the judge to dismiss the prosecution.
Komi was first prosecuted in September 2025, when a federal grand jury in Virginia charged him with making false statements and obstructing justice. The charges were related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, 2020.
In that testimony, Comey denied that he had authorized anyone else from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to act as an anonymous source and report information regarding Hillary Clinton and her email investigation to the media; at that time, Hillary was the Democratic Party's presidential candidate for 2016.
The initial lawsuit was dismissed by a judge on November 24, 2025. The judge ruled that the appointment of Lindsay Haligan, who was the then acting federal prosecutor who filed these lawsuits, was invalid.
On the very same day that the judge dismissed the Comey case for this reason, the same judge also dismissed another unrelated lawsuit brought by Haligan. This case targeted New York State Attorney General Leticia James, who was accused of bank fraud and making false statements to financial institutions regarding a housing mortgage loan she obtained in 2020.
Like Comey, James has always been a strong critic of Trump and has also become a target of the president's angry emotions.
