Federal prosecutors have brought new charges against James B Comey, the former FBI director, accusing him of mishandling national security information in October 2016 that they said ended up in a New York Times article, according to court papers unsealed on October 26.
It is the third time in 13 months that the Trump administration has sought to prosecute Comey, whom US President Donald Trump fired as FBI director in 2017. The new charges came in the form of a criminal information filed under seal in Federal District Court in Washington this month, the court records say, meaning that prosecutors brought charges without immediately seeking approval from either a judge or a grand jury. Comey’s lawyers had in recent weeks sought to get the charges dismissed, but have yet to succeed, the records show.
“I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid of these people,” Comey said. Comey is accused of knowingly and willfully causing national defense information to be “communicated, delivered and transmitted to a person not entitled to receive it” around October 4 and 5 of 2016. The issue had twice been investigated, including during the first Trump administration.
