Justice Department files new criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey

A prominent former federal law enforcement official faces active criminal prosecution involving national defense disclosures and prior legal challenges over the validity of the appointed prosecutor's authority.

• •The Justice Department filed two criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey.
• •The charges accuse Comey of unlawfully disclosing national defense information and conspiring to provide it to a reporter in 2016.
• •The charges were filed without a grand jury indictment.
• •Comey's attorneys argue that filing charges without a grand jury indictment makes the prosecution legally invalid.
• •The charging document does not identify the reporter, publication, or specific information allegedly disclosed.
• •Comey released a video statement on Monday maintaining his innocence and expressing belief in the independent judiciary.
• •Comey was previously indicted in 2025 on charges of making a false statement and obstructing Congress, which were dismissed after a federal judge ruled Lindsey Halligan's appointment as interim U.S. attorney was unlawful.
• •Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed prosecutor who indicted Comey, is scheduled to leave her post.
• •President Donald Trump previously fired Comey during his first term and has publicly accused him of leaking and lying.