Justice department charges ex-FBI director James Comey for third time
Also reported by BBC US, PBS NewsHour
Summary
The Justice Department charged James Comey with two counts related to alleged leaks of national defense information in 2016, marking the third time the Trump administration has brought criminal charges against him. Comey’s lawyers say the case concerns a previously investigated New York Times article and argue the filing came after the statute of limitations expired and should have required a grand jury indictment.Key Facts
- Federal prosecutors filed the charges in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
- The government alleges Comey leaked information in 2016 and conspired with an unnamed person to provide it to a national news outlet.
- Comey’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said the case relates to a New York Times article published on October 5, 2016.
- Prosecutors filed the charges as an “information,” a charging document that is not approved by a grand jury.
- Comey’s lawyers asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the statute of limitations expired and that the law required a grand jury indictment.
- A judge previously dismissed a separate case accusing Comey of lying to Congress after finding the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed.
- Earlier this year, the Justice Department charged Comey in North Carolina over a social media post showing seashells arranged to spell “8647.”
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