DOJ Subpoenas Former FBI Director James Comey in Expanding Probe of Obama-Era Russia Investigations

Federal prosecutors in Miami have subpoenaed former FBI Director James Comey as part of a Justice Department investigation into the actions of Obama-era intelligence officials, expanding scrutiny of the origins and handling of the 2016 Russia probe.

The subpoena, first reported March 19, 2026, seeks records similar to those requested in prior subpoenas but broadens the timeframe under review from 2016 through the present. It focuses in part on Comey’s role in the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian election interference, which referenced the controversial Steele dossier.

The investigation, which began last year, has already generated more than 130 subpoenas. Other recipients include former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok, and former FBI attorney Lisa Page.

The probe stems in part from a criminal referral by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who alleged a “treasonous conspiracy” by Obama-era officials to undermine President Donald Trump. A CIA “Tradecraft Review” completed under former CIA Director John Ratcliffe criticized the Steele dossier for running “counter to fundamental tradecraft principles” and undermining a key judgment; Ratcliffe has referred Comey and Brennan for possible prosecution.

Comey’s subpoena arrives amid renewed focus on the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the 2016 counterintelligence probe into potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Opened under Comey’s leadership in July 2016, the investigation relied heavily on the Steele dossier. Special Counsel John Durham’s 2023 report later sharply criticized the FBI’s handling of the probe, though it resulted in limited prosecutions.

Comey and his representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. McCabe’s attorney, Michael Bromwich, called the broader investigation “a vendetta in search of a crime.” Brennan’s attorneys previously described the effort as driven by “unrelenting presidential pressure to pursue political targets without regard to the law or facts.”

The development is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump Justice Department examining the conduct of senior officials involved in the 2016 Russia inquiries. No charges have been announced in connection with the current Miami grand jury probe.