Comey Hit With Two New Federal Charges Over Alleged Disclosure
WHO:
CNN - The Justice Department criminally charged James Comey, a former FBI director, for the third time.
CBS News - Prosecutors sought to charge Comey with two counts under the Espionage Act. His attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said Comey “steadfastly maintains his innocence.”
NBC News - Federal prosecutors charged Comey with transmission of national defense information and conspiracy to transmit national defense information.
Fox News - The Justice Department accused Comey of communicating national defense information and conspiracy.
IJR - Comey denied wrongdoing, and his attorneys sought dismissal of the case.
WHAT:
CNN - The case was unsealed.
CBS News - Comey’s attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said the filing “purports to charge Mr. Comey with crimes that he did not commit.”
CNN - Court records made public Monday say Comey allegedly leaked a sensitive national security document while FBI director.
CBS News - The Justice Department filed a two-count criminal information rather than obtaining a grand-jury indictment or charging Comey by criminal complaint.
CBS News - The allegations concern Comey giving national defense information to an unnamed person for disclosure in a newspaper.
CBS News - The New York Times article cited two unnamed government officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
CBS News - The Justice Department alleged Comey sought to “correct misinformation which had appeared in the press by way of Reuters the day before” and “directed staff” to discuss the Reuters article’s accuracy with a Times reporter.
CBS News - Comey said, “well, they're back again,” and: “Nothing's changed with me. I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid of these people and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary.”
CNN - Comey said in a video, “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.”
CNN - A previous case against Comey was dismissed; another criminal charge remained pending in coastal North Carolina, alleging he threatened President Trump in a social media post.
CBS News - The two earlier cases included a dismissed indictment accusing Comey of lying to Congress and a pending indictment accusing him of threatening President Trump.
WHERE:
CNN - The initial criminal-information filing was in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
CNN - A separate pending case was in coastal North Carolina.
CBS News - The New York Times published the article cited in the allegations.
WHEN:
CNN - Court records show the charges were first filed in the District of Columbia on Oct. 5, ten years after the alleged transmission.
CBS News - The Justice Department’s latest effort to charge Comey stems from alleged disclosures in October 2016.
WHY:
CNN - The Justice Department said the filing was intended to preserve time before the statute of limitations expired.
CBS News - A Justice Department spokesperson said the information was filed to preserve the statute of limitations; the department described the matter as an ongoing criminal investigation.
HOW:
Alternet - Judge Andrew Napolitano said there was no precedent in Washington, D.C., for using a “waiverless information” to stop the statute of limitations from running.
Alternet - Former federal prosecutor Doug Burns said, “in the Constitution, you can’t charge somebody with a felony unless there’s a grand jury indictment.”
Alternet - Napolitano argued that the alleged disclosure showed no apparent intent to harm the U.S. government and involved Yahoo’s surveillance of its customers.
CNN - Comey’s lawyers challenged the case in sealed court proceedings, arguing that the Justice Department needed to obtain an indictment within 10 years and that its filing did not meet that requirement.
CNN - The Justice Department said filing a criminal information to toll the statute of limitations is a widely recognized federal-court practice approved by multiple Circuit Courts of Appeals.
CNN - Comey’s lawyers said, “An indictment fundamentally differs from an information.”
CBS News - The alleged disclosures were charged as transmission of national defense information to someone not entitled to receive it; prosecutors also allege conspiracy to transmit it.
CNN - Comey’s lawyers argued in sealed court proceedings that a grand-jury indictment had to be filed within 10 years and that the Justice Department’s filing did not meet that requirement.
CNN - The Justice Department said it filed a “waiverless criminal information to toll the statute of limitations” and was still seeking to bring the case to a grand jury for an indictment.
CNN - Comey moved to dismiss the case, arguing that an indictment was required within 10 years and that the Justice Department’s filing did not suffice. His lawyers wrote, “An indictment fundamentally differs from an information.”
CBS News - The Times article was titled “Yahoo Said to Have Aided U.S. Email Surveillance By Adapting Spam Filter.”
(UPDATED October 27, 2026 19:00 UTC)
The Justice Department has criminally charged former FBI Director James Comey over alleged disclosures of national defense information, accusing him of transmitting it to someone for a newspaper story and conspiring to do so. The case was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., as a two-count criminal information rather than a grand-jury indictment; prosecutors say the filing preserves the statute of limitations while they continue seeking an indictment, and Comey’s lawyers have moved to dismiss it. Comey denies wrongdoing and says he is not afraid, while his attorney says the charges involve crimes he did not commit.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 13:19 UTC)
The Justice Department has charged former FBI director James Comey with transmitting national defense information and conspiring to share it, alleging he gave sensitive material to someone for disclosure in a newspaper. The case involves a 2016 disclosure, and prosecutors filed a two-count criminal information rather than a grand-jury indictment, saying the filing preserved time under the statute of limitations while they continued seeking an indictment. Comey denies wrongdoing and is asking a judge to dismiss the case, arguing the filing does not meet the legal requirement; his attorney says he steadfastly maintains his innocence.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 12:01 UTC)
The Justice Department filed two criminal charges against James Comey over alleged disclosures of national defense information and conspiracy, accusing the former FBI director of sharing sensitive material with someone for publication in a newspaper. The department said it filed the criminal information to preserve the statute of limitations while seeking to bring the case to a grand jury; Comey’s lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss it, arguing an indictment was required. Comey denies wrongdoing and says he remains innocent, while the new case follows a dismissed indictment accusing him of lying to Congress and a separate pending case alleging he threatened President Trump.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 08:05 UTC)
The Justice Department has filed two criminal charges against James Comey, accusing the former FBI director of transmitting national defense information and conspiring to disclose it to someone not authorized to receive it. Prosecutors allege the conduct involved a sensitive document shared for a newspaper story, and say they filed the criminal information to preserve the statute of limitations while continuing to seek a grand-jury indictment. Comey denies wrongdoing and is asking a judge to dismiss the case, arguing the filing does not meet the legal requirement for an indictment; his attorney says he maintains his innocence.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 03:06 UTC)
The Justice Department has filed two criminal charges against former FBI director James Comey, accusing him of transmitting national defense information and conspiring to transmit it to someone for disclosure in a newspaper. The allegations involve a sensitive document Comey allegedly shared while FBI director, and prosecutors say they filed the charges to preserve time before the statute of limitations expired while they continue seeking a grand-jury indictment. Comey denies wrongdoing and is seeking to dismiss the case, calling the filing an abuse of the Justice Department; one earlier case against him was dismissed, while a separate charge alleging he threatened President Trump remains pending.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 01:27 UTC)
The Justice Department has charged former FBI Director James Comey with transmitting national defense information and conspiring to transmit it, alleging he gave a sensitive document to someone for disclosure in a newspaper. Prosecutors filed a two-count criminal information in federal court in Washington to preserve the case before the statute of limitations expired, while saying they are still seeking a grand-jury indictment; Comey’s lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss the filing, arguing an indictment was required. Comey denies wrongdoing and says he remains innocent, while his attorney says the charges concern crimes he did not commit.
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(UPDATED October 26, 2026 23:09 UTC)
The Justice Department has criminally charged former FBI director James Comey for a third time, accusing him of transmitting national defense information and conspiring to share it with someone for disclosure in a newspaper. Prosecutors allege the information was given to a person connected to a New York Times article, and say they filed the charges in Washington to preserve the statute of limitations while seeking a grand jury indictment. Comey denies wrongdoing and is seeking dismissal, while a previous case against him was dismissed and a separate case alleging he threatened President Trump remains pending in North Carolina.