Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida have issued a grand jury subpoena seeking testimony from Daniel C. Richman, a Columbia University law professor and close associate of former FBI Director James B. Comey, according to a source familiar with the matter. The subpoena represents the latest development in an ongoing federal investigation sometimes referred to as the “grand conspiracy” case, which aims to allege that Comey and other federal officials engaged in a coordinated effort to infringe on former President Donald Trump’s rights.
The inquiry, led by Joseph diGenova, a Trump loyalist, is being conducted in the Federal District Court in Fort Pierce under the oversight of Judge Aileen M. Cannon, a judicial appointee considered favorable to Trump. The probe attempts to link various separate investigations related to Trump—including the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the subsequent investigation into his handling of classified documents—into a broader alleged scheme against the former president.
Richman, who previously served as an adviser to Comey at the FBI, has become entangled in multiple probes connected to his former colleague. He was involved in two prior investigations: one that examined whether Comey used him to leak sensitive FBI information to the media, which concluded without charges, and another that led to a September indictment accusing Comey of lying to Congress regarding issues related to those leaks.
The recent subpoena in Florida marks the third instance in which Richman has been asked to provide information about Comey. Prosecutors have increasingly focused on communications between the two men, including emails and text messages, which formed a critical part of an earlier case. That initial indictment filed in Virginia was dismissed after a federal judge ruled that the prosecutor responsible for bringing the charges was improperly appointed. Further complicating the government’s case, Richman successfully argued that investigators had improperly obtained his communications with Comey.
Following the dismissal, a second indictment against Comey was filed in North Carolina, accusing him of threatening to kill Trump by sharing a photograph of seashells arranged on a beach to spell out “86 47.” Prosecutors contend that “86” is a slang term for killing someone and “47” refers to Trump as the 47th president. Comey’s defense attorneys have denied that the photo constituted a genuine threat, asserting that prosecutors have failed to produce evidence indicating any intent to harm Trump.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the subpoena. This latest move highlights ongoing tensions between federal investigators appointed during the Trump administration and former officials targeted in politically charged investigations.