Former FBI Chief James Comey Faces Third Federal Criminal Case

UPDATE - follow-up to DOJ charges ex-FBI Director James Comey in new case: Former FBI Director James Comey faces a third set of federal criminal charges, according to a court filing made public on Monday. The new case in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. accuses Comey of knowingly sharing national defense information with someone not allowed to receive it, alongside a charge of conspiring with others to break this law. The complaint states Comey directed an unnamed person to share defense details with a national news reporter.

Reactions

James Comey responded in a video message on Substack, calling the new case an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice and stating he remains innocent and unafraid. Department of Justice actions against him follow years of friction with President Donald Trump, who fired him in 2017. Hours before the latest complaint, a federal judge in New York ruled the Justice Department unlawfully fired Comey's daughter, Maurene Comey, last year from her role as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Context

This legal battle unfolds alongside two earlier cases involving Comey. He is currently seeking to dismiss a North Carolina indictment alleging he threatened Trump's life by posting a photo of seashells shaped like numbers on social media, while a previous Virginia indictment against him was dismissed last year after a judge ruled the prosecutor was invalidly appointed. Earlier report (2026-10-27 03:17): UPDATE - follow-up to DOJ charges ex-FBI Director James Comey in new case: Former FBI Director James Comey faces a third set of federal crimes in a court filing made public on Monday. He is accused of knowingly sharing defense data with an unauthorized person and conspiring to break the law.

The New Charges

Prosecutors state in the Washington, D.C. court complaint that Comey directed an unnamed person to share defense information with a national news reporter through a co-conspirator. This filing appeared hours after a New York federal judge ruled that the Justice Department unlawfully fired his daughter, Maurene Comey, last year from her role as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Past Cases

Comey already faces an April indictment in North Carolina over an Instagram post of seashells showing the numbers 86 and 47, which prosecutors claim threatened the president. He denies wrongdoing in that matter. A September 2025 indictment in Virginia for false statements and obstruction was dismissed in November after a judge ruled the interim U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, was invalidly appointed. That same judge also dismissed an unrelated bank fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James on that day.

Context

Federal criminal charges require grand jury indictments or official complaints filed in U.S. district courts by government prosecutors. Legal proceedings often involve multiple motions from defense teams seeking to dismiss charges over procedural rules or appointment validity.