Newly released emails and text messages show that former FBI Director James Comey actively encouraged his friend and “Special Government Employee,” law professor Daniel Richman, to communicate with reporters, even praising him after Richman served as an anonymous source for a New York Times story.
The correspondence was included in a Department of Justice (DOJ) court filing on Monday, opposing Comey’s motion to dismiss his indictment for allegedly lying to and obstructing Congress regarding his authorization of anonymous FBI sources.
“Well Done My Friend”: Comey Praises Anonymous Source Work
The documents reveal a direct line of communication between Comey and Richman concerning media strategy and coverage.
- On November 1, 2016, Comey, using a personal account, emailed Richman with frustrations about NYT coverage and asked his friend to “make him [the reporter] smarter.”
- The following day, November 2, 2016, Comey reviewed a resulting NYT story, “These Are the Bad (and Worse) Options James Comey Faced,” and sent a congratulatory email to Richman.
- The story, which discussed Comey’s options after the FBI revealed a discovery of new emails relevant to the Hillary Clinton investigation, did not name Richman but was a story where he served as an anonymous source.
- Comey’s personal email to Richman stated: “Well done my friend. Who knew this would. E so uh fun.”
The emails also show that days earlier, on October 30, 2016, Comey advised Richman against writing an op-ed the NYT had requested, telling him, “No need. At this point it would [be] shouting into the wind.”
Role as a Media Intermediary
The released communications demonstrate Richman’s extensive role as a media intermediary for Comey, even after the November 2016 exchange.
- In February 2017, Richman emailed then-DOJ official Chuck Rosenberg, asking if he would “chat” with a NYT reporter about Clinton’s emails for a “huge piece,” noting the reporter had already had “a ton of background conversations with players and non-players (like me).”
- On May 11, 2017, text messages show Richman directing the same reporter to reach out to Comey to get “clearance for me to talk as anon source.”
- Richman later texted the reporter: “Just got goahead [sic]. See my email,” after which the NYT published a story citing “associates” of Comey, saying he “declined” to pledge loyalty to President Donald Trump.
DOJ Rejects Vindictive Prosecution Claim
The DOJ filing argues that this correspondence undermines Comey’s claim that his indictment is a result of vindictive and selective prosecution based on his public criticism of President Trump.
- Comey’s attorneys argued in an October 20 filing that he was “singled out” due to Trump’s “genuine animus.”
- Federal prosecutors assert that the correspondence “demonstrates Richman corresponded extensively with members of the media regarding or on behalf of the defendant, including in an anonymous capacity.”
- The DOJ concluded by stating that the indictment was presented by an unbiased prosecutor and grand jury, and that allowing Comey to “escape accountability for lying to and obstructing Congress under oath about actions he took while serving as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation” would be a “true affront to the criminal justice system.”
The indictment alleges that Comey falsely claimed during his September 2020 testimony that he did not authorize “someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports” concerning the Clinton investigation.
READ: Comey Slams Indictment As “Vindictive,” Blames Trump’s “Personal Animus”
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