Why James Comey is getting charged again

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump’s revenge campaign is getting increasingly desperate. What’s happening? On Monday, we learned that Trump’s Justice Department is criminally charging former FBI Director James Comey for a third time, in the latest installment of Trump’s ongoing efforts to prosecute his enemies. Unlike two previous instances, the charges are not in the form of an indictment. Instead, the DOJ filed a two-count criminal information, which allows prosecutors to lodge charges without getting a grand jury involved (but, crucially, does not allow the government to try Comey on those charges unless he waives his right to a grand jury). What is Comey charged with? The charges allege that in October 2016, Comey unlawfully transmitted national security information about US email surveillance to a journalist. They were filed earlier this month on October 5, exactly 10 years after the alleged disclosure, after which point the statute of limitations would have expired. Comey denies the charges, and said in a video posted Monday that the case “would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice.” What’s the context? Comey, whom Trump fired as FBI director in 2017, has long been at the top of Trump’s second-term enemies list. He was indicted on scanty allegations of lying to Congress in September 2025, and again this spring for an alleged threat against Trump, in the form of a photo of seashells arranged to spell “86 47” (“86” is broadly understood to be service industry slang for rejecting or removing something or someone). The first set of charges quickly fell flat after a judge found that the US attorney who brought them — former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan — was illegally appointed. Comey is still seeking to have the second set dismissed. What’s the big picture? It’s unclear if this third set of charges will stick, though the Trump administration says it still plans to seek a grand jury indictment. But their existence underscores how dramatically Trump has succeeded in politicizing the Justice Department. And with that, it’s time to log off… How does creativity work? My colleagues at Vox’s Unexplainable podcast went looking for answers in a fascinating recent episode. You can hear all about what they found here. As always, thanks for reading, have a great evening, and we’ll see you tomorrow!