James Comey asks federal judge to dismiss Justice Department criminal charges

Lawyers for former FBI director James Comey are appearing in court on Friday to ask a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges brought by the Justice Department, UPI and The Guardian report. Comey is in court as his defense team argues that the government has not established a valid case against him, according to UPI. [1][3]

UPI reports that Comey faces two federal charges for allegedly violating the Espionage Act by improperly sharing national security information with a reporter for The New York Times in 2016. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the Justice Department charged Comey with unlawfully transmitting and conspiring to disclose national defense information on October 5, 2016, marking the third federal criminal case brought against him. [1][11]

The leak case was twice previously investigated with no action taken, according to The Guardian. The Guardian also notes that Comey is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and has been in an open feud with him since Trump fired him early in his first presidential term. [3]

James Brien Comey Jr. served as the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2013 until his termination in May 2017. He was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate. [8][10]