Comey faces new federal charge over 2016 classified document leak

Former FBI Director James Comey is facing a third federal prosecution after the Justice Department filed a criminal information accusing him of sharing national defense information in October 2016. Court documents made public on Monday show the agency is pursuing charges for transmitting and conspiring to transmit classified data. The filing alleges Comey shared this sensitive information with a New York Times reporter.

The legal battle against Comey has escalated over the past several years. The Department of Justice previously charged him twice, once for alleged false statements to Congress regarding media leaks and once for threatening President Donald Trump on social media. A judge has already dismissed the false statements case, while the threats case remains pending before the court.

The new criminal information was submitted to a Washington federal court on October 5. The document was kept sealed until Monday, when Comey’s legal team requested it be unsealed. The primary purpose of the filing is to stop the ten-year statute of limitations on the offense, which was set to expire earlier this month. A Justice Department spokesperson described this procedural step as a widely recognized practice in federal court.

Comey responded to the news through an Instagram video, stating that the Justice Department is back again. He maintained his innocence but offered no further details in the clip. His attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, issued a statement claiming the document purports to charge Comey with crimes he did not commit. Fitzgerald has asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing the legal action is improper.

The Justice Department stated that it is an ongoing criminal investigation and declined to provide additional comments. The case adds to the stack of legal matters currently involving the former director. The next step in the process will be the judicial review of the dismissal request filed by his legal team.