Ex-FBI director James Comey insists he's 'innocent' as Justice Department tries to charge him for 3rd time

Former FBI Director James Comey.

The Justice Department is moving to charge former FBI Director James Comey for a third time, this time with allegedly mishandling classified information, prompting Comey to insist that he's "innocent" of the charges.

Court records show Comey is accused of directing his FBI staff to leak classified information to The New York Times in 2016 in violation of the Espionage Act. The article in question, titled "Yahoo Said to Have Aided U.S. Email Surveillance by Adapting Spam Filter," was published in early October 2016. Lawyers for Comey have fought the government's attempts to bring charges arguing the statue of limitations has expired.

“The United States' investigation has uncovered evidence that former FBI Director, James B. Comey, sought to correct misinformation which had appeared in the press by way of Reuters the day before,” prosecutors wrote earlier this month, the court records show. “Mr. Comey directed staff to speak to [the New York Times reporter] about specific accuracy concerns related to the Reuters article, and thereby illegally transferred classified information.”

Unlike previous attempts to charge Comey, federal prosecutors filed the charges without convening a grand jury under a method known as "criminal information," according to ABC News. 

Comey, like he's done in the past when he's been hit with federal charges, denied any wrongdoing and declared his innocence in a short video post on his Substack newsletter. He called the charges "an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice," and said, "I'm still innocent and I'm not afraid of these people." 

Comey was indicted earlier this year was charged with "knowingly and willfully" making "a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States." Those charges stem from a post he made on Instagram showing seashells arranged on the beach to spell out "86 47." Justice Department lawyers argued it was a threat to assassinate President Trump, the 47th President of the United States. His lawyers are seeking to have that case thrown out.

Comey could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Trump, when asked by reporters late Monday night about the charges, echoed what he's said before about Comey, that he's a "dirty cop," and said he didn't know anything further about the latest charges.