The deep state’s web of corruption is finally getting scrutinized.
After years of watching FBI brass avoid accountability, federal prosecutors just made a move that has Washington insiders talking.
And James Comey’s closest adviser just got handed a subpoena that could finally reveal what really happened during the Russia investigation.
The FBI’s leak operation gets exposed
Columbia law professor Daniel Richman has been operating behind the scenes for years as former FBI director James Comey’s longtime friend and outside adviser.
But federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia just dragged him in for questioning this week as part of a criminal investigation into whether Comey lied under oath before Congress.¹
Richman isn’t just any random academic – he’s the guy Comey used as his intermediary with reporters.
When the former FBI director wanted to get his version of events into the press after President Trump fired him in 2017, he didn’t leak the information himself.
He handed off memos detailing his private conversations with Trump to Richman, who then shared the content with reporters from the New York Times.
Those leaked memos helped create the political pressure that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, launching a lengthy witch hunt into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Now prosecutors want to know if Comey lied under oath when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, 2020, about the FBI’s investigation into the Russian collusion hoax.²
Comey’s congressional testimony under scrutiny
Here’s what makes this significant – Comey has spent years positioning himself as someone who always follows proper procedures and tells the truth.
But during his September 2020 testimony, he defended the FBI’s Russia investigation as "appropriately predicated" and necessary.
He told senators that the investigation "had to be opened" and was conducted "in the main" the right way.³
Comey also claimed he had "no idea what on Earth" Attorney General William Barr meant when Barr said the Trump-Russia investigation was unfounded.
The former FBI director said the notion that Barr believed the investigation was illegitimate "mystifies me."
But prosecutors apparently think there may be inconsistencies between what Comey said under oath and what actually happened during the investigation.
The timing couldn’t be more telling
Look, this investigation isn’t happening in a vacuum.
For years, Americans who pay attention have known that something wasn’t right about how the FBI handled the Trump-Russia investigation.
Questions have persisted about the use of the Steele dossier, the handling of surveillance warrants, and the bureau’s overall approach to investigating a presidential campaign.
A previous Justice Department inspector general report already faulted Comey for violating FBI policies over his handling of the Trump memos, though the department under Trump’s first administration declined to prosecute him at the time.⁴
Now we’re seeing renewed scrutiny of whether Comey was fully truthful when he testified before Congress about these sensitive matters.
The fact that prosecutors are willing to subpoena Comey’s closest adviser suggests they’re serious about getting to the bottom of what happened.
What this really means
You want to know why this matters?
Because for too long, high-ranking government officials have operated like they’re above the same laws that apply to everyone else.
If Comey wasn’t truthful in his congressional testimony, that’s perjury – and it should be prosecuted regardless of someone’s political position or former job title.
The American people deserve to know the full truth about how federal law enforcement agencies conducted themselves during one of the most controversial investigations in recent memory.
This subpoena of Daniel Richman shows that someone with prosecutorial authority is finally asking the tough questions that should have been asked years ago.
And if there were lies told under oath to Congress, the people responsible need to be held accountable – no matter how many books they’ve written or how many television interviews they’ve given defending their actions.
For folks who believe in equal justice under law, this investigation represents exactly what should happen when there are credible questions about potential perjury.
Nobody gets a free pass when it comes to lying to Congress – not even former FBI directors who’ve spent years portraying themselves as the ultimate Boy Scouts of law enforcement.
¹ ABC News, "Friend of former FBI Director James Comey subpoenaed in federal probe: Sources," September 17, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ ABC News, "Comey defends Russia investigation as ‘essential’ in testimony to Senate panel," September 30, 2020.
⁴ ABC News, "Friend of former FBI Director James Comey subpoenaed in federal probe: Sources," September 17, 2025.
