James Comey faces third legal action as judge aids daughter

Federal prosecutors have taken steps to bring two criminal counts against former Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey over the alleged unlawful dissemination of national defense information, according to Al Jazeera English and the BBC. It marks the third time the administration of United States President Donald Trump has pursued criminal charges against Comey since returning to office in January 2025. Comey, a prominent critic of President Trump who has denied any wrongdoing, has not been formally indicted in the case. [1][3]

Court filings show the charges relate to information concerning national defense, Al Jazeera English reported. According to the BBC, lawyers for Comey stated in court papers that the latest case stems from an alleged disclosure of classified information to the New York Times in October 2016. [1][3]

On the same day, United States District Judge Jesse Furman ruled that the Trump administration illegally fired Comey's daughter, Maurene Comey, from her position as a federal prosecutor in New York in July 2025, according to the BBC and the South China Morning Post. Judge Furman ordered that the Justice Department must reinstate her with back pay after she filed a lawsuit alleging she was dismissed because of her father and her political affiliations. [2][4]

James Comey served as the seventh director of the FBI from 2013 until President Trump dismissed him in May 2017. Maurene Comey had worked as an assistant United States attorney for a decade prior to her termination last year, the South China Morning Post reported. [4][11]