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 in testimony before Congress, sources told ABC News.
Richman has previously acknowledged acting as an intermediary between Comey and reporters after Comey’s 2017 firing by President Donald Trump, who was angered over the FBI’s investigation into his 2016 campaign.
Richman met with federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday, sources said. Richman has previously acknowledged sharing with The New York Times the contents of memos Comey wrote about his interactions with Donald Trump.
Trump accused Comey of breaking the law by releasing classified information, though Richman told ABC News the documents he shared bore no classification markings.
Sources said the subpoena is tied to an investigation into Comey’s September 2020 congressional testimony regarding the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Comey has consistently defended his handling of the FBI’s early investigation, denying that political bias influenced his decisions.
A Justice Department inspector general review previously faulted him for violating FBI policies in how he managed memos about his interactions with Trump, though the DOJ during Trump’s first term declined to pursue charges.
