A federal investigation once aimed at President Donald Trump has taken a sharper turn—now targeting the officials who helped build those cases.
Former FBI Director James Comey has been subpoenaed as part of a wide-ranging probe into former government officials involved in investigating and prosecuting Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter. The subpoena, served last week, signals an escalation in an inquiry that has already issued more than 130 subpoenas, writes Axios.
The investigation focuses on senior officials from the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, examining whether Democratic-aligned figures violated rules, committed crimes, or provided false testimony in efforts targeting Trump from the 2016 election through federal cases brought in 2023.
Comey’s subpoena centers on his role in preparing the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 election. That report concluded Russia sought to influence the race in a way that disadvantaged Hillary Clinton and benefited Trump.
A June “Tradecraft Review” ordered by CIA Director John Ratcliffe later criticized the inclusion of references to the Steele dossier in that assessment, stating the decision “ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” Ratcliffe subsequently referred Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan for potential prosecution.
The probe is being handled by a grand jury in the Southern District of Florida, impaneled by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who previously dismissed Trump’s federal classified documents case in 2024.
Brennan remains a central focus of the investigation, particularly over allegations he made false statements during a 2023 congressional deposition about the Steele dossier—claims that fall within the five-year statute of limitations. Any potential false statements by Comey in 2020 are now outside that window.
According to reporting, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones is exploring whether to pursue a broader conspiracy case linking Comey, Brennan, and others, including former special counsel Jack Smith.
Those targeted by the probe have rejected its premise, describing it as politically motivated. Brennan’s attorneys, in a prior letter to the court, wrote: “This unrelenting presidential pressure to pursue political targets without regard to the law or facts has resulted in an unprecedented spike in the incidence of irregular prosecutorial conduct, especially in relation to grand jury investigations and charging decisions relating to matters of political interest to the president.”
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