Comey was charged in Washington DC through a criminal information, which is a formal written charging document filed directly by a prosecutor.

This is different to a criminal indictment, which must be approved by a grand jury, a group of citizens sworn in to review if evidence is strong enough to prosecute.

Comey was fired by Trump 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, and these charges are the administration’s third attempt to do so.

Comey was first indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025 on charges that he had lied to Congress during testimony and obstructed a congressional proceeding.

He pleaded not guilty the following month before the case was dismissed in November.

In April 2026, Comey surrendered to authorities to face charges alleging that an image he briefly shared on social media posed a threat to Trump’s life.

The case stemmed from a 2025 Instagram post by Comey, which contained a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read “86 47”.

“Eighty-six” is a slang term for “get rid of”, and prosecutors allege it encourages violence against Trump, the 47th president.

Comey denies any wrongdoing, saying he did not know what the numbers meant, and accusing the prosecution of political motivation. That case is ongoing.