Comey Vows to Fight as Trump DOJ Brings Third Charge Against Him
WHO:
Alternet - Benny Johnson, a conservative commentator, and Steve Guest, who previously worked for Sen. Ted Cruz, publicly supported the prosecution; Guest said, “Hillary Clinton’s birthday wish came true already!”
Alternet - Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger called the people involved “Absolute clowns”; attorney and professor Kathleen Clark said five DOJ lawyers signed the charging information and that all five were political appointees.
Alternet - Democracy Docket described the prosecution as an escalation in Trump’s retaliation campaign against political foes.
Alternet - James Comey, identified as a former FBI director, faces federal charges brought by the Justice Department.
NBC News - Federal prosecutors charged James Comey under the Trump administration.
Alternet - President Trump has sought to prosecute Comey, whom he blamed for not squashing investigations into him.
Alternet - CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, discussed the prosecution; the article also identifies Todd Blanche and Sammy Gravano in quotes attributed to Honig.
WHAT:
NBC News - Prosecutors have charged Comey for a third time.
Alternet - Eric Daughtery of Right Line News wrote, “HE’S COOKED!” and accused Comey of orchestrating “backchannel intelligence LEAKS” to smear Trump during and after the campaign.
Alternet - The Justice Department filed charges against Comey again; the article says he faces two counts.
NBC News - The federal charges are transmission of national defense information and conspiracy to transmit national defense information.
Alternet - The first count alleges that Comey, possibly acting with others, knowingly and willfully communicated or transmitted national defense information to someone not entitled to receive it.
Alternet - The allegation describes information Comey allegedly possessed or controlled, relating to national defense, which he had reason to believe could be used to injure the United States or benefit a foreign nation.
Alternet - The second count similarly accuses Comey of sharing information he was not authorized to disclose.
Alternet - The document alleges that on October 5, 2016, Comey and one or more co-conspirators directed “Individual #1” to disclose national defense information to a reporter for a national news publication.
Alternet - The document cites violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 793(d) and (g).
Alternet - Comey called the matter “almost... funny” and said, “It would almost be funny if it weren't such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to.”
Alternet - Honig said Trump received real-time updates and FBI interview notes “on the spot,” and questioned Todd Blanche’s claim that the administration was “completely separate from the president.”
Alternet - Honig said he rejected calling Trump as a trial witness, describing him as having “zero credibility,” and said the case would fail if it relied on Sammy Gravano’s interpretation.
WHY:
Alternet - The article says Trump blamed Comey for not stopping investigations into him and has been focused on prosecuting him.
Alternet - The article says Comey’s handling of information about alleged connections between Trump and Russia, alongside his public release of information about a sexting scandal involving a Clinton campaign official’s then-husband, may have unintentionally helped Trump’s 2016 election.
HOW:
Alternet - Kathleen Clark noted that Jeanine Pirro’s name was not among the five political appointees who signed the charging information.
Alternet - The alleged conduct involved communicating, delivering, or transmitting national defense information to an unauthorized recipient, and an alleged conspiracy to arrange disclosure to a reporter.
Alternet - The sexting scandal concerned former Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat from New York, who was then-husband of a Hillary Clinton campaign official.
(UPDATED October 27, 2026 01:30 UTC)
The Justice Department has charged former FBI director James Comey with transmitting national defense information and conspiring to transmit it, marking another prosecution of the former official. The indictment alleges that Comey and others arranged for a person to disclose protected information to a reporter, and Comey called the case an appalling abuse of the Justice Department. President Trump has long blamed Comey for failing to stop investigations into him and has sought his prosecution, while critics have described the case as retaliation against a political foe.
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(UPDATED October 26, 2026 22:13 UTC)
Former FBI Director James Comey faces two federal charges under the Trump administration: transmitting national defense information to someone unauthorized to receive it and conspiring to disclose such information. The indictment alleges that in 2016, Comey and others directed an individual to share national defense information with a reporter; President Trump has long sought to prosecute Comey, blaming him for not stopping investigations into Trump. Comey called the case an appalling abuse of the Justice Department, while legal analyst Elie Honig questioned the administration’s claim that it acted separately from the president.