The U.S. Department of Justice has brought a second criminal indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, a person familiar with the matter told reporters on Tuesday.
At this stage the department has not made public the precise allegations or the jurisdiction where charges will be lodged. Those details remain unclear, and officials have not released a formal statement detailing the nature of the case.
Media accounts, citing unnamed sources, indicate the new matter may be linked to a social media post Comey published last year that supporters of former President Trump interpreted as a threat. The report does not specify the content of the post or the legal theory underlying any potential charges.
This indictment represents the second time the Justice Department has charged Comey while President Donald Trump is in office. In September, federal prosecutors charged Comey with making a false statement and obstructing Congress; however, that earlier case was dismissed by a federal judge after concluding the prosecutor who obtained the indictment had not been lawfully appointed.
The Justice Department has faced public pressure to pursue criminal cases against individuals viewed as political adversaries of President Trump. That environment of pressure intensified after Trump dismissed former Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month, an action that commentators and some officials have cited in discussions about prosecutorial direction.
What is known
- The indictment was reported on Tuesday by a source familiar with the case.
- Specific charges and the court or jurisdiction intended for filing have not been disclosed.
- Press reports have linked the matter to a social media post Comey made last year, which some Trump allies viewed as threatening.
- This follows an earlier indictment that was dismissed because of questions over the prosecutor's appointment.
The available information is limited. Until the Justice Department releases formal court filings or a public statement, significant questions about the scope and legal basis of the charges remain unanswered.