Former FBI Director James Comey Faces New Federal Charges
Ex-FBI Director James Comey has once again been charged with federal crimes by the U.S. Department of Justice. Here is a look at the latest round of charges against Comey, as well as why he continues to deny the allegations.
James Comey Faces Third Round of Criminal Charges from Trump DOJ
James Comey is facing criminal charges from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the third time. The federal charging documents coming out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia accuse Comey of sharing sensitive national defense information with an individual not authorized to receive it. The documents also allege that Comey directed someone to share confidential information with a news agency. The official court documents do not indicate what Comey shared or with whom.
Comey is denying all of the allegations against him. In a video that he posted in response to the charges, the former top law enforcement official said that "It would almost be funny if it were not such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one we cannot become numb to. Nothing’s changed with me; I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid of these people."
This is the third round of federal charges that Comey has faced from the DOJ under President Donald Trump. The president views Comey as one of his greatest political adversaries ever since the former FBI director launched an investigation into the alleged link between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The latest charges come just hours after a judge in a separate case ruled that the DOJ was acting unlawfully when it fired Comey's daughter, Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in New York's Manhattan federal district. The Harvard Law School graduate had long been regarded as a rising star in this federal office, bringing criminal cases against music artist Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Comey had previously been charged by the DOJ in April and September of 2025. The first incident charged Comey with lying to Congress. A judge has already dismissed this case.
The second case is still ongoing, alleging that Comey threatened to harm the president by sharing an image on social media with seashells arranged to read "8647." Comey's adversaries say that the number "86" is common slang used in the restaurant industry to remove a customer's order or to indicate the unavailability of an ingredient. Meanwhile, Trump is the country's 47th president. As such, they argue that the numbers 86 and 47 in succession translate to killing the president.
Reaction from the DOJ
The DOJ has responded to the documents by saying that it was "tolling," a term used to indicate the freezing of the statute of limitations in a case by triggering the charges. The agency confirmed that it "filed a waiverless criminal information to toll the statute of limitations as it relates to allegations concerning former FBI Director Comey. Filing a criminal information to toll the statute of limitations is a widely recognized practice in federal court and has been approved by multiple Circuit Courts of Appeals."
The court documents indicate that the actions that prompted the charges date back to October 4 and 5 of 2016. This was less than a month before Trump's first presidential election, when he beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to ascend to the Oval Office.
Critics of the president have been beating the drum for the last few years, accusing the White House of weaponizing the DOJ for their own political gains. Comey's response echoes his previous comments on these matters, continuing to assert his innocence and accuse the Trump administration of flexing its political power to misuse the DOJ.
In the video that Comey posted on Monday to Instagram, he said, "Well, they’re back again. I’m still lucky to have an incredible family and an incredible group of lawyers who will stand up in court and fight the latest and whatever comes after this." He concluded the video with a call to action, urging his supporters not to give up on the American justice system. Comey said that "It’s really important that we stand straight and keep the faith in America."
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