DOJ Investigating Allegations Against James Comey

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is said to be conducting a new investigation into claims that former FBI Director James Comey leaked classified information.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which had previously attempted to bring criminal charges against Comey last year for allegedly misleading Congress, has recently revived its focus on him with separate yet related inquiries, according to reports.

This investigation centers on Comey’s sharing of documents with Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia University. If this case progresses, it would mark the third time since last fall that the Trump administration’s Justice Department has sought to indict Comey.

According to two anonymous sources familiar with the situation, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has been actively involved in discussions about the case, although it remains uncertain whether the DOJ will take the step of presenting an indictment to a grand jury in eastern Virginia.

The news of a potential third indictment against Comey follows previous charges linked to a social media post from 2025, in which he displayed shells arranged on a North Carolina beach with the words “86 47.” The number “86” is often interpreted as meaning “to eliminate,” while “47” may reference President Donald Trump. While “86” traditionally does not imply violence—originating from restaurant lingo—it drew considerable backlash, resulting in Comey deleting the post.

A grand jury subsequently issued an indictment against Comey, along with a warrant for his arrest.

The indictment alleges that Comey “deliberately and knowingly threatened to take the life and cause bodily harm to the President of the United States” through his Instagram post featuring the seashell arrangement, which, it claims, could be reasonably interpreted as a serious threat against the President.