Third federal case filed against Comey

A federal court document filed in Washington reveals that the Justice Department is pursuing a third criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey. The filing, known as a criminal information, was submitted on October 5 to prevent the ten-year statute of limitations from expiring earlier this month.

The charges allege that Comey transmitted national defense information and conspired to do so. Specifically, prosecutors claim he shared classified details with a New York Times reporter in October 2016. The document was unsealed on Monday at the request of Comey's legal team.

Comey responded to the news in an Instagram video, stating, "they're back again." He also declared, "I'm still innocent." His attorneys have already moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the legal procedure is improper.

This new filing adds to the legal battles Comey has faced recently. The Justice Department previously charged him twice, with one case accusing him of lying to Congress about media leaks and another alleging he threatened President Donald Trump in a social media post. A judge has already dismissed the false statements case, while the threats case remains pending.

Patrick Fitzgerald, a lawyer for Comey, said in a statement that the document "purports to charge Mr. Comey with crimes that he did not commit." A Justice Department spokesperson described the use of a criminal information to halt the statute of limitations as a "widely recognized practice in federal court." The department added that it is an ongoing criminal investigation and would not comment further.

The ten-year deadline for this specific offense was set to run out earlier this month, prompting the urgent filing. The criminal information is now part of the public record in Washington federal court.