IC Oversight & Policy — 2026-09-02

Federal Grand Jury Subpoenas Former FBI Director Comey Advisor Daniel Richman in Renewed Classified Leak Investigation

BLUFRenewed grand jury activity targeting Comey's disclosure channel is unlikely to yield criminal charges within six months, given two prior federal probes examined identical conduct without action.

A federal grand jury issued a subpoena to Daniel Richman, a longtime friend and former adviser to ex-FBI Director James Comey, requiring his testimony in a renewed investigation into whether Comey improperly shared classified information with the New York Times, according to law enforcement sources cited by Fox News and a source familiar with the matter cited by CNN . CNN reported the subpoena marks the first indication that Florida-based prosecutors, who were probing an alleged broader conspiracy against Trump and are now led by Joe DiGenova, have expanded their inquiry beyond former CIA Director John Brennan . Fox News reported the leak investigation is separate from the pending federal case accusing Comey of threatening Trump in an "86 47" social media post, for which Comey faces two charges . Richman has previously stated that a memo he shared with a Times reporter, originating from Comey's account of a conversation with Trump, "was not marked classified and to my knowledge remains unclassified" .

Analysis
A criminal charge against Comey or Richman within six months is unlikely: two prior probes, DOJ's inspector general and Durham's special counsel, examined the same disclosure without charges, and Richman's on-record claim that the memo was unclassified undermines the leak theory's evidentiary basis. Sourcing rests on Fox News's primary account independently corroborated by CNN's own source, with Mediaite's write-up adding no independent confirmation. The subpoena marks the first concrete investigative action against Comey's own conduct since the probe was understood chiefly as Brennan-focused. DiGenova's team struggles to advance the broader conspiracy inquiry, and the timing suggests prosecutors are widening scope to sustain momentum rather than acting on new evidence. High confidence reflects consistent null findings across two independent prior investigations. A charge would mark DOJ's third attempt at prosecuting a prominent Trump critic and sharpen press-freedom scrutiny of source-protection subpoenas; absent one, the Brennan probe's credibility problem persists.

4 sources