Trump was Comey's former employer who fired him during his first term, after the former FBI director opened an investigation into claims of Russian meddling in the US 2016 presidential election. Since then, Trump has repeatedly called for his prosecution. The case stems from a 2025 Instagram post by Comey containing a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read"86 47".
Comey's lawyers say the case stems from alleged disclosure of classified information in 2016. Comey was previously indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025 on charges that he had lied to Congress during testimony and obstructed a congressional proceeding.
James Comey has been charged in Washington DC through a criminal information, marking the administration's third attempt to prosecute the former FBI director.
A criminal information is a formal written charging document filed directly by a prosecutor.
"Nothing's changed with me - I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid of these people and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary,"Comey stated. His attorney said the court filing"purports to charge Mr Comey with crimes that he did not commit".