Former FBI Director James Comey delivered a stark warning about the Justice Department's institutional integrity, saying it cannot simultaneously serve as the nation's protector of the rule of law while prosecuting people based on the president's personal grievances.
"The department cannot target people like an Adam Schiff or Letitia James or Sen. Kelly because the president doesn't like what they say," Comey said in an NBC News interview Tuesday. "It just can't be that way and still have it uphold the rule of law in this country."
Comey's comments reflect the reality of multiple prosecutions the Justice Department has pursued against Trump critics in recent months. The department has brought cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James, California Senator Adam Schiff, and former CIA Director John Brennan. Federal prosecutors also sought indictments against six members of Congress, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, for encouraging service members to ignore illegal orders. A grand jury declined to indict the lawmakers.
The pressure on Comey himself has intensified. A federal judge dismissed indictments against him and James in November after finding the prosecutor had been unconstitutionally appointed. Comey had faced charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation, while James was charged with bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution. Both pleaded not guilty, and the Justice Department is appealing the dismissals.
Last month, prosecutors indicted Comey again, this time over an Instagram post from May 2025 showing seashells arranged to spell "8647." The administration claims the numbers constituted a threat against Trump. Comey has denied this characterization. The number combination carries layered meaning: "86" is restaurant industry shorthand for being out of something, while "47" references Trump's position as the 47th president.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said there exists a "body of evidence" against Comey beyond the Instagram photograph, though he said he is not permitted to disclose it publicly.
Comey described the prosecutions as part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate his critics into silence. He said Trump's motivations are twofold: to suppress his own vocal opposition and to send a chilling message to others considering speaking out against the administration.
"I don't wake up in the middle of the night thinking about him, but he does thinking about me," Comey said. "It's one, he wants to try and silence my criticism, and two, he wants to send a message to others who might consider speaking, that this is what will happen if you speak out."
Trump has publicly attacked Comey as a "dirty cop" and a "crooked man." Comey predicted that Trump critics should prepare for additional indictments, warning that the administration will continue leveraging the Justice Department to pursue Trump's desired retribution.
Comey emphasized that the department's foundational duty is to make decisions "based on facts and law" and "without regard to race or wealth or politics." That obligation, he argued, is incompatible with selective prosecution rooted in the president's personal animosity toward his opponents.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This is prosecutorial weaponization dressed up in formal language, and Comey's raising the alarm because the Justice Department has lost its moorings."
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