FIRST ON FOX: A federal grand jury issued a subpoena to former FBI Director James Comey’s longtime friend and advisor on Monday as part of a new investigation into Comey allegedly leaking classified information to the media, multiple law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.
The subpoena targets former Comey adviser Daniel Richman and indicates that the Justice Department has launched a fresh investigation into the leak of classified information to the New York Times. The issue was also investigated under President Donald Trump’s first term, but was cut off when former President Joe Biden entered office.
The new investigation is in addition to the one centered on Comey’s alleged threats against Trump.
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Richman, a law professor and former attorney for Comey, played a central role in the initial investigation into the leak in 2018. He also later filed a lawsuit arguing that prosecutors violated his Fourth Amendment rights by seizing material from his electronic devices during investigations in 2019 and 2020.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in his favor in that case in December of last year.
Prosecutors had relied on the files to indict Comey on charges of making false statements and obstructing Congress in connection with his 2020 testimony on FBI officials anonymously giving information to news outlets.
The indictment accused Richman, previously a special FBI employee, of communicating with reporters about investigations into 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in that year’s election loss to President Donald Trump.
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The new case comes as Comey is also facing litigation over his “86 47” Instagram post, which prosecutors argue constituted a threat against Trump.
Comey is facing two federal charges and up to 10 years in prison in that case, though the original prosecutor in the case resigned in early June.
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“Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an April 28 statement at the time the two-count indictment for threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce was announced.
“The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials,” he added. “The temperature needs to be turned down, and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.”
