FBI chief charged again

Federal prosecutors filed charges against former FBI Director James Comey on Monday. The indictment accuses him of transmitting national defense information and conspiring to do so. This marks the third federal case brought against Comey in his tenure.

The legal action stems from a specific event in October 2016. On October 5 of that year, The New York Times published a story by Charlie Savage. The article suggested Yahoo aided US email surveillance by adapting its spam filter. Prosecutors claim Comey sought to correct errors in the reporting.

Deputy Special Counsel Dustin Farahnak released a document detailing the allegations. He stated that investigators found evidence Comey instructed staff to contact Savage. The goal was to raise concerns about the accuracy of a previous Reuters report. Farahnak said this contact resulted in the illegal transmission of classified data.

The case remained under judicial secrecy until October 5 of this year. Defense attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges ten days prior to the public announcement. They argue the statute of limitations has expired. The law allows the government ten years to secure a formal indictment from a grand jury.

Comey’s legal team contends the current filing is not a true indictment. It is a document presented by prosecutors rather than a grand jury decision. They maintain the ten-year window closed on October 5, 2026. Defense attorney Patrick Fitzgerald noted that the government previously declined to charge anyone in this matter. Two separate teams of prosecutors reviewed the issue during the first Trump administration.

Comey responded to the news in a video posted on Substack on Monday. He called the move a gross abuse of the Department of Justice. He stated that nothing has changed regarding his personal status. He affirmed his innocence and his belief in the independence of the federal judiciary.

Fitzgerald added that Comey will fight the charges publicly and firmly. He highlighted that the first case was dismissed after a judge ruled the government used an individual who was not a US Attorney. That official sought a formal charge that was never presented to a grand jury. The second case arose in April 2026 in North Carolina. It involved a photo of seashells arranged to form the number 8647.

Trump removed Comey as FBI Director in May 2017. This followed the start of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The president has repeatedly called for Comey’s prosecution. He described the former director as a corrupt cop and a sick person. The new charges are the latest step in that legal strategy.