WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is attempting to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey for what it calls disclosing classified information, employing the unusual maneuver of bypassing a grand jury — a move Comey's lawyers say makes the case legally invalid.

The allegations from the Justice Department came in documents unsealed Monday in federal court in Washington.

It would be the third criminal case that the Justice Department has brought against the longtime critic and foe of President Donald Trump since the Republican president’s return to the White House last year.