The US Justice Department has taken steps to charge former FBI director James Comey with leaking information, court records show, in what would be the third attempt to bring criminal charges against him.
Prosecutors are seeking two counts under the Espionage Act, alleging that Mr Comey transmitted national defence information to someone not entitled to receive it.
He has not been indicted by a grand jury or charged through a criminal complaint. Instead, prosecutors filed an information, a charging document generally used when a defendant intends to plead guilty.
A Justice Department spokesperson said the filing was made to preserve the statute of limitations before it expired, adding: “This is an ongoing criminal investigation, and we will not comment further.”
Mr Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said his client “steadfastly maintains his innocence”.
