Ex-FBI Director James Comey charged in third criminal case from Trump admin

Former FBI Director James Comey is again facing criminal charges from the Department of Justice, new court filings showed on Monday, Oct. 26.

Federal charging documents out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia allege Comey shared sensitive national defense information with someone not entitled to receive it and directed someone to share sensitive information with a news outlet. Court documents do not say what information Comey shared with whom.

The former top law enforcement official immediately denied the new allegations.

"It would almost be funny if it were not such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one we cannot become numb to," Comey said in a video responding to the charges. "Nothing’s changed with me, I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid of these people."

Comey promised to fight the latest round of charges, the third he’s faced from Trump’s DOJ. President Donald Trump has viewed Comey as a foe since the former FBI director investigated links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

The new charges come hours after a judge ruled that the DOJ’s 2025 firing of Comey’s daughter Maurene Comey, a Harvard Law School graduate who was serving as a prosecutor in New York's Manhattan federal office, was unlawful. She previously brought criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell as well as music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Comey was also charged by the DOJ in April and September 2025. In the first case, which a judge dismissed, Comey was charged with lying to Congress. The second case is ongoing and alleges Comey threatened to harm Trump by sharing on social media an image of seashells reading "8647."

What does the DOJ say?

In response to a request for comment, the DOJ said it was "tolling" or effectively freezing the statute of limitations in the case by filing the charges.

"The Department filed a waiverless criminal information to toll the statute of limitations as it relates to allegations concerning former FBI Director Comey," the DOJ said. "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." 

According to court documents, the alleged actions for which Comey faces charges date back to Oct. 4 and 5 of 2016. 

"This is an ongoing criminal investigation, and we will not comment further," the DOJ added.

How did Comey respond?

In a video statement posted to Instagram, Comey said he was innocent and accused Trump of misusing the DOJ. 

"Well they’re back, again," Comey said in the video. "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 ended his video by calling on supporters to not give up on the American system, including its independent judiciary. 

"It’s really important that we stand straight and keep the faith in America," he said.