Trump's 'dirty cop' remark

The president delivered his verdict on the james comey prosecution in person, telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland: "I think he's a dirty cop."

Trump was asked about the case as the justice department moves against the man he once led as FBI director. He offered little detail of his own, saying: "I don't know much about it."

The charges Comey faces

According to court documents made public on Monday, the justice department is attempting to prosecute Comey for a third time, on the grounds that he shared sensitive national security information in 2016.

The case surfaced in a court paper known as a criminal information, which the justice department said it filed to stop the 10-year statute of limitations on the offence from expiring earlier this month, in October 2026. Filed in Washington federal court, it accuses the former director of two things:

• transmitting national defense information
• conspiring to transmit national defense information

The allegation underneath both counts is specific: that Comey shared classified information with a reporter from the New York Times in October 2016.

Comey's response

Comey did not let the president's remark stand unanswered. In a video posted on Instagram, he referred to the justice department and said "they're back again" before adding the line at the centre of his defence.

Where the case stands

Two things now define the case's path. The first is timing: the justice department filed the criminal information expressly to beat the 10-year statute of limitations, which would have run out earlier in October 2026. That deadline pressure is why a third attempt exists at all.

The second is the pending dismissal request. A judge is being asked to throw the case out before it goes further, on the defence argument that the prosecution is legally improper. Until that motion is resolved, the government's third effort to charge the former FBI director sits before the Washington federal court where it was filed.