DOJ Pursues Third Prosecution Attempt Against Former FBI Director James Comey

The Justice Department is making its third attempt to criminally prosecute former FBI Director James Comey.

Twice already the Justice Department has tried and failed to prosecute James Comey — now it is trying again. The DOJ is pursuing a third criminal case against the former FBI director, a development that comes as President Trump has publicly labeled Comey a 'dirty cop.' Comey, for his part, has maintained his innocence, stating plainly: 'I'm still innocent.' Comey served as FBI Director from 2013 until Trump fired him in May 2017, a dismissal that helped trigger the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The animosity between Comey and Trump is long-standing and well-documented, rooted in Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation and his refusal to pledge personal loyalty to Trump early in the administration. Two prior DOJ attempts to bring charges against Comey did not result in conviction, though the source does not specify the precise outcomes — whether charges were dropped, cases were dismissed, or grand juries declined to indict. The current third attempt signals that the administration is pressing forward despite that track record. The single source reporting on this development is The Guardian's live politics blog, which provides limited detail on the specific charges being pursued or the legal basis for this latest attempt. The broader context is a pattern of the Trump administration using federal law enforcement as a tool against perceived political adversaries, a charge the administration disputes.

Why it matters

A third DOJ prosecution attempt against a former FBI director is historically unprecedented and raises significant questions about the independence of federal law enforcement from political influence. The outcome could affect public trust in the Justice Department and set precedents for how former officials are treated.

What's next

Watch for formal charges to be announced or for a grand jury decision that would clarify the specific legal theory behind this third prosecution attempt.

Key facts

Bias & framing notes

This story comes from a single source — The Guardian's live politics blog — which is a rolling format not optimized for detailed legal reporting. The headline foregrounds Trump's inflammatory language ('dirty cop') alongside Comey's denial, which frames the story around personal conflict rather than legal specifics. No DOJ statement or legal detail is included, limiting the ability to assess the factual basis of the prosecution. The trust score is tempered by the absence of corroborating sources and the scarcity of legal detail.

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