Court documents show the charges were filed exactly 10 years after the alleged leak took place, which is the statute of limitations on unauthorised disclosure offences. The document was signed by Trent McCotter, the acting US deputy attorney general, who was appointed to the role by attorney-general Todd Blanche in April. Blanche is another of Trump’s former lawyers.
Comey already faces charges over an Instagram photograph showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47”, which has been alleged to be a death threat against Trump because “86” in restaurant parlance means to get rid of something and has also sometimes been appropriated as a mob term.
Last year, Comey was indicted on charges of making false statements to a 2020 Senate hearing and obstructing a congressional investigation. That case was thrown out by a judge who found that the prosecutor, Trump’s former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed.
In an Instagram video on Monday, Comey said “Well, they’re back – again,” and went on: “It would almost be funny if it weren’t such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to. Nothing’s changed with me, I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid of these people, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. The next couple of years are going to be hard for all of us. It’s really important that we stand straight, and keep the faith in America.”