Trump Administration Charges James Comey for Third Time

James Comey is facing new federal charges pressed by the Trump administration, his third such case and one that he called on Monday an abuse of the Justice Department. Prosecutors accuse the former FBI director of unlawfully sharing national defense information by directing staff to talk to New York Times reporter Charlie Savage in 2016 about accuracy concerns tied to a Reuters story on US email surveillance, NBC News reports. Prosecutors say "he thereby illegally transferred classified information." Federal court documents unsealed Monday revealed the allegations. Comey has not been indicted.

The administration is taking the unusual step of not taking the case to a grand jury, per the AP, which Comey's lawyers said invalidates the prosecution. In a video posted after the case was unsealed, Comey said he is innocent and expressed confidence in the federal courts. "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," he said, per the BBC. "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." Earlier in the day, a federal judge ruled that the administration's firing of Comey's daughter, Maurene, from her Justice Department job was illegal.