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Trump administration files third criminal case against ex-FBI director Comey

The Justice Department has charged former FBI director James Comey with leaking classified information from a decade ago, marking the third time the Trump administration has brought charges against him.

27 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Trump administration files third criminal case against ex-FBI director Comey — Archive photoPhoto: United States Department of Justice · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

The Trump administration's Justice Department has filed fresh criminal charges against James Comey, the former FBI director, according to court records unveiled on Monday. The charges, brought in federal court in Washington DC, mark the third time the administration has pursued criminal action against Comey since taking office. According to The Guardian, Comey faces two counts of leaking information related to national defense.

The alleged conduct dates back roughly a decade, according to Arab News. The Justice Department accuses Comey of unlawfully divulging national security information, though court documents provide few details about what he is alleged to have leaked. Comey's legal team has immediately challenged the charges as invalid and outside the time limit within which the Justice Department can file a criminal indictment, according to Arab News.

Comey, who was fired as FBI director by President Donald Trump in 2017, has been a vocal critic of the president. According to The Guardian, he is described as one of Trump's most despised foes. Comey has consistently maintained his innocence. In a statement reported by CBS News, he said: "I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid of these people and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary."

According to multiple sources, Comey also responded to the latest charges through an Instagram video, as reported by The Independent. Deutsche Welle notes that Comey denies wrongdoing and that his lawyers contend the case is legally invalid and arrives too late to be prosecuted.

The former FBI director has now faced three rounds of charges since Trump returned to office. His legal team's arguments centre on the statute of limitations and the legal validity of the government's actions, according to reporting from Arab News and Deutsche Welle.

The Justice Department's pursuit of charges against Comey represents a continuation of Trump's stated adversarial relationship with the former director, whom he removed from office during his first term as president.

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