Former FBI Director James Comey is back in the spotlight, facing serious charges over alleged fibs to Congress about leaking sensitive memos, as evidence regarding his well-known lawyer's continued involvement continues to emerge, as Just the News reports.
This legal storm, brewing since last month, centers on accusations that Comey misled senators in 2020 by denying he authorized media leaks tied to high-profile investigations, ultimately leading to the appointment of a special counsel in 2017.
Let’s rewind to the beginning: Comey, sacked by President Donald Trump on May 9, 2017, didn’t take his firing lying down. Right after, he handed over memos detailing private talks with Trump to his legal team, including Patrick Fitzgerald, a former U.S. attorney with a history of tackling big cases.
On May 14, 2017, Comey sent scanned copies of several memos to Fitzgerald’s personal email, who then passed them along to another attorney, Daniel Richman, on May 17. Just days prior, on May 16, Comey directly texted Richman a copy of one memo and instructed him to share its contents with the New York Times.
The very next day, the New York Times dropped a bombshell article titled “Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation.” That story lit a fuse, and by May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tapped Robert Mueller as special counsel to dig into the Trump-Russia saga. Cause and effect, anyone?
Comey’s legal squad, including Fitzgerald and Richman -- a Columbia law professor and former DOJ official -- were deep in the mix during this 2017 fiasco. Richman, identified in the indictment as the likely leaker, knew FBI ethics guidelines frowned on such disclosures, per internal emails.
Fast forward to September 2020, when Comey testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and swore he hadn’t authorized anyone at the FBI to be an anonymous source for news stories about certain investigations. The indictment, filed last month, calls that a flat-out lie, alleging he greenlit Richman to spill details on probes involving Hillary Clinton.
“On or about September 30, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia, the defendant, JAMES B. COMEY JR., did willfully and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement... by falsely stating to a U.S. Senator during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that he... had not ‘authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports’ regarding an FBI investigation concerning PERSON 1,” the indictment reads.
A 2019 DOJ Inspector General report didn’t help Comey’s case, slamming him for mishandling FBI records by sharing those memos. “Former Director Comey failed to live up to this responsibility. By not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his FBI employment, and by using it to create public pressure for official action, Comey set a dangerous example,” wrote Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Now, with Fitzgerald at his side, Comey pleaded not guilty in early October and is gearing up for a trial in January 2026. Fitzgerald, currently a lecturer at the University of Chicago School of Law, isn’t sitting idle -- he’s already signaled plans to file motions to dismiss, including one questioning the legitimacy of the interim U.S. attorney’s appointment who brought the charges.
The backstory of Fitzgerald and Comey’s relationship adds layers to this saga; back in 2003, as deputy attorney general, Comey appointed Fitzgerald as special counsel in the Valerie Plame affair. It’s a tight professional bond, and now Fitzgerald is once again stepping up to shield his old colleague from legal peril.
Critics might argue Comey had other ways to push for a special counsel without airing dirty laundry through the press, a point the Inspector General’s report emphasized. But instead, he chose a path that’s landed him in this mess, with memos deemed official FBI records -- not personal notes -- containing potentially classified tidbits.
The indictment itself, brought by interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan after her predecessor’s resignation under alleged pressure from the Trump administration, raises eyebrows about political motives. Still, the core issue isn’t who’s behind the charges -- it’s whether Comey crossed ethical and legal lines.
For conservatives weary of deep-state shenanigans, this case feels like a long-overdue reckoning for unelected bureaucrats wielding outsized influence. Yet, fairness demands we wait for the trial to see if the evidence sticks, rather than rushing to judgment.
Until January 2026, the Comey-Fitzgerald duo will keep us guessing -- will they outmaneuver the prosecution, or will this memo leak saga finally catch up with them? One thing’s certain: in a world obsessed with progressive narratives, this story reminds us that accountability isn’t just a buzzword -- it’s a principle worth defending. Let’s hope the truth, not politics, wins out.
