Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted on charges stemming from a 2025 social media post that the Justice Department alleges constituted a threat against President Donald Trump, according to reporting from the Washington Post, CNN, and the New York Times.
The indictment marks at least the second time Comey has faced federal legal action. Legal experts quoted by NBC News described the development as shocking, with several raising questions about the basis for the charge and the department's use of prosecutorial power against a prominent Trump critic.
Comey led the FBI from 2013 until Trump fired him in May 2017, an act that helped trigger the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. He has remained a public figure and an occasional critic of the administration through media appearances and social media.
The specific content of the 2025 post has not been fully detailed in initial reports, but prosecutors apparently determined it crossed the line from political speech into conduct chargeable as a threat. The case is likely to intensify debate over how the Justice Department under the Trump administration has deployed its investigative and charging authority against political opponents and former officials.
Comey's legal representation and any initial response to the indictment were not immediately clear. The case is expected to draw close scrutiny from civil liberties groups and former federal prosecutors.
