James Comey Faces Third Charge, Accused of Leaking National Defense Information

Former FBI Director James Comey has been criminally charged for a third time, facing accusations of communicating and conspiring to transmit national defense information, according to court records unsealed Monday.

The charges were filed in federal court in Washington D.C. and appear to relate to actions taken by Comey during his tenure as FBI director approximately a decade ago.

These new charges mark the third instance of Comey being indicted by the Justice Department since the start of President Donald Trump's second term. Previously, Comey was charged in the Eastern District of Virginia for allegedly making false statements to Congress, and in a federal court in North Carolina for allegedly threatening the president via an Instagram post. The first case was dismissed by a federal judge, and Comey pleaded guilty to the North Carolina charges.

Comey has characterized both previous legal efforts as politically motivated prosecutions orchestrated by the Trump administration.

Details surrounding the latest charges remain scarce. The unsealing of these indictments occurred on the same day a judge ruled that the Justice Department had illegally terminated the employment of Comey's daughter, Maurene Comey, from her position as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York last July. The judge ordered her reinstatement with back pay.