Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed Columbia law professor Daniel Richman, a longtime friend and adviser to former FBI Director James Comey, as part of a criminal investigation into whether Comey lied to Congress. Richman, who previously acted as an intermediary between Comey and the press following his 2017 dismissal by President Trump, reportedly met with prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia last week.
Richman became a central figure after Comey asked him to share the contents of memos detailing his private interactions with Trump. One such memo was shared with The New York Times. Although Trump accused Comey of leaking classified information, Richman insisted the memos he handled contained no classification markings. The current investigation is said to focus on Comey’s 2020 congressional testimony related to the FBI’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation.
A prior review by the Justice Department’s inspector general found Comey violated internal FBI policy in managing the memos but concluded they did not contain classified material. No charges were brought at the time. The new subpoena, however, signals that federal authorities are revisiting Comey’s actions and statements under oath.
Separately, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino revealed that investigators discovered unprocessed materials from Comey’s time as director stored in a previously unknown room. He said some of the contents had bypassed standard FBI procedures and are currently being reviewed for declassification, though clearance from other agencies is delaying public release.
Adding intrigue, Comey recently posted an Instagram image displaying the number “8647,” which some officials interpret as a cryptic message referencing Trump. Neither Comey nor Richman has publicly commented, and the Justice Department declined to issue a statement.