Tuesday, October 27, 2026
The DOJ charged Comey a third time. No grand jury.
Court papers unsealed Monday show the Justice Department charged James Comey on October 5 with leaking national defense information to the New York Times in 2016. No grand jury voted; a prosecutor filed it directly. Two earlier investigations charged no one. Comey, charged twice before in a year, says he is still innocent.
The government says a man named James Comey, who used to run the FBI, told a newspaper a secret ten years ago. They have tried to take him to court three times now, like knocking on the same door three times. He says he did nothing wrong and isn’t afraid. A judge will look, and the grown-ups have it.
Why it worksA six-year-old takes one vivid feature for the whole event, so the script gives them a secret told to a newspaper and a door knocked on three times, and keeps the grand jury and the ten-year clock off the card. The judge looking is the safe part. Expect “is he a bad man?” He says no, and nobody has proved he is.
- “Is he going to jail?”
- No. A charge isn’t jail. A judge has to look first, and his lawyers say this one isn’t even allowed.
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James Comey ran the FBI in 2016. The government says he told the New York Times a secret. Two teams of prosecutors looked and charged nobody. Ten years on, the DOJ charged him anyway and skipped the grand jury, the citizens’ panel that checks evidence first. A referee skipping the replay.
Why it worksThis age tests whether adults apply the rules evenly, so the script runs the chain: a secret in 2016, two checks, no charges, then a charge on the last day with the citizens’ panel skipped. The referee is the mechanism. Expect “so is he guilty?” Nobody knows. A charge is not a verdict, and the first case was thrown out.
- “Can they keep charging him?”
- No limit. The first case was thrown out; the second is still going.
- “Why didn’t a grand jury vote?”
- To beat a ten-year deadline. His lawyers say that’s not allowed.
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Why charge a man now for what two investigations cleared ten years ago? The DOJ says it filed to stop a ten-year clock, a routine move. His lawyers say no judge or grand jury approved it, a week before the midterms. Second: it’s his third charge in a year. When does prosecution become punishment?
Why it worksA teenager can hold two true things at once: filing to stop a clock is a recognised practice, and ten years of looking charged no one. The script asks when prosecution becomes punishment and names the midterms, which they will test you on. Expect “did he leak it?” I don’t know. Two teams looked and charged nobody.
- “Is this normal, or is it revenge?”
- The DOJ calls it routine. Comey calls it abuse. Trump fired him in 2017.
- “Will this one stick?”
- I don’t know. The first was thrown out. This one may be past its deadline.
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Based on the headline: The DOJ charged Comey a third time. No grand jury.