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Ex-FBI chief James Comey charged again by Trump administration's DOJ · GNN Daily Breaking News

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  Speaker 1: The Department of Justice has unsealed new federal charges against
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  Speaker 1: former FBI Director James Comey, marking the third criminal case
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  Speaker 1: brought against the prominent Trump administration critic since last year.
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  Speaker 1: Filed under seal earlier this month in the U.S. District
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  Speaker 1: Court for the District of Columbia and Unsealed Monday, the
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  Speaker 1: criminal information accuses Comey of two counts related to the
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  Speaker 1: unlawful transmission of national defense information to the press under
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  Speaker 1: provisions of the Espionage Act. The charges allege that Comey
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  Speaker 1: improperly disclosed sensitive security materials dating back to October 2016
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  Speaker 1: while serving as head of the bureau. The unsealed court
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  Speaker 1: filings reveal an unusual procedural strategy, as prosecutors submitted the
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  Speaker 1: criminal information directly to by time before the relevant statute
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  Speaker 1: of limitations expired, rather than securing a grand jury indictment first.
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  Speaker 1: Department of Justice officials indicated they intend to present the
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  Speaker 1: evidence to a grand jury for a formal indictment in
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  Speaker 1: the coming weeks. Legal scholars and defense attorneys immediately raised
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  Speaker 1: questions about the validity of charging Comey via a direct
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  Speaker 1: filing without prior grand jury approval, pointing to potential constitutional
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  Speaker 1: defects in the government's procedural approach. Comey strongly rejected the
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  Speaker 1: allegations in a public video statement, affirming his innocence and
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  Speaker 1: characterizing the latest prosecution as an escalating pattern of political retribution.
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  Speaker 1: Emphasizing that he remains confident in the independence of the
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  Speaker 1: federal judiciary, the former director declared that the repeated legal
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  Speaker 1: actions represent an unwarranted misuse of executive law enforcement powers.
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  Speaker 1: The new filing adds to a complex web of legal
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  Speaker 1: proceedings involving Comey. whose previous indictments over alleged false statements
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  Speaker 1: and online communications have faced persistent defense challenges regarding prosecutorial
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  Speaker 1: misconduct and selective prosecution. The timing of the unsealed charges,
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  Speaker 1: coming just one day after a federal judge ruled that
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  Speaker 1: the administration unlawfully fired Comey's daughter, Maureen Comey, from her
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  Speaker 1: position as an assistant U.S. attorney, has heightened public focus
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  Speaker 1: on the Justice Department's actions. With only one week remaining
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  Speaker 1: before the November 3rd midterm elections, the high-profile action against
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  Speaker 1: a prominent former official underscores the deep political tensions surrounding
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  Speaker 1: federal law enforcement independence, executive oversight, and the boundaries of
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  Speaker 1: federal prosecution.