WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey has been criminally charged by the Justice Department for a third time, according to court records unsealed on Monday.

The new charge alleges Comey leaked a sensitive national security document in October 2016, while he was still leading the FBI. The case was first filed in DC District Court on October 5 — almost exactly ten years after the alleged transmission.

In a statement, the Department said it filed a criminal information to preserve the statute of limitations, calling that a widely recognized practice approved by multiple federal appeals courts. It described the matter as an ongoing investigation and declined to comment further.

A growing list of cases

Comey also faces a separate charge in North Carolina over a social media post that prosecutors allege threatened the president. An earlier case against him was dismissed.

What happens next

No hearing date or detailed evidence has been made public yet. The case is expected to draw intense political attention in Washington as it moves through federal court.

Source facts: CNN, Oct 26, 2026 — developing story