President Donald Trump called former FBI Director James Comey a “dirty cop” Monday night after federal prosecutors accused him of illegally disclosing national defense information in the third criminal case brought against him since Trump returned to the Oval Office.
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“I don’t know too much about it, I just heard about it,” Trump told reporters. “I think he’s a dirty cop, James Comey. But I know nothing about it. He’s a dirty cop, but I know nothing about it.”
The new case, unsealed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., accuses Comey of two violations of the Espionage Act: unlawfully communicating information related to national defense to someone not authorized to receive it and conspiring with others to do so.
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Prosecutors allege that Comey, through one or more co-conspirators, directed an individual to disclose national defense information to a reporter for a national news publication. The alleged disclosure occurred on or about October 5, 2016, when Comey was serving as FBI director under President Barack Obama.
Comey’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said the case concerns an October 2016 New York Times report about a secret court order requiring Yahoo to scan emails for messages potentially connected to a foreign terrorist organization, according to the Washington Post. Fitzgerald said the disclosure had already been examined by two separate U.S. attorneys, neither of whom pursued charges.
“For the third time in little more than one year, the Department of Justice has attempted to charge Mr. Comey with a federal crime,” Fitzgerald said. “Mr. Comey steadfastly maintains his innocence.”
Comey responded in a video Monday, accusing the Justice Department of abusing its power.
“Well, they’re back — again,” Comey said. “It would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to.”
“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,” he added.
Prosecutors filed the charges under seal on October 5 through a criminal information rather than a grand jury indictment. The Justice Department said the filing was intended to preserve the case before the 10-year statute of limitations expired.
Comey’s attorneys have moved to dismiss the case, arguing that prosecutors needed a grand jury indictment within the 10-year deadline. Judge Trevor McFadden ordered the case unsealed Monday but has not ruled on the motion to dismiss.
A separate 2025 indictment accused Comey of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding over his 2020 Senate testimony about FBI leaks. A federal judge dismissed that case after finding that the prosecutor who secured the indictment had been unlawfully appointed.
The Justice Department has also pursued a case in North Carolina accusing Comey of threatening Trump through an Instagram photograph of seashells arranged to read “86 47.” Comey has denied wrongdoing in that case, which remains pending.
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