James Comey

During his career as a federal prosecutor, acting attorney general, and FBI director, James Comey has found himself lauded and reviled by members of both U.S. political parties. A polarizing figure known for his controversial handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email servers during the 2016 presidential campaign, Comey was fired as FBI director in 2017 by U.S. Pres. Donald Trump, becoming only the second FBI director to be removed from office. During Trump’s second term, Comey was indicted on charges of lying to Congress. He denied the charges, saying he was the subject of a vindictive political prosecution. A federal judge subsequently dismissed the case.

Early life

Comey came from an Irish American family. His paternal grandfather was a police officer, and his father worked in commercial real estate. Comey grew up in Allendale, New Jersey, and he later studied chemistry and religion at the College of William & Mary. After graduating in 1982, he earned a law degree (1985) from the University of Chicago.

Legal career and acting attorney general

As a young lawyer, Comey worked mostly in the offices of United States attorneys (federal prosecuting attorneys with regional jurisdiction). In 1987 he became an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, serving under Rudolph W. Giuliani. In 1993 he moved to Virginia and became a partner in the McGuireWoods law firm. Returning to government service, Comey became an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in 1996. In 2002 he was promoted to U.S. attorney and put in charge of his old jurisdiction, the New York Southern District. In a high-profile case, his office brought charges of financial misconduct against the homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart; she was convicted in 2004.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

In December 2003 Comey became deputy attorney general, the second highest official in the Department of Justice (DOJ). Serving as acting attorney general in 2004, during the incapacity of Attorney General John Ashcroft, he thwarted efforts by officials in Pres. George W. Bush’s administration to obtain legal clearance for an aggressive domestic eavesdropping program. The same people who applauded this action, however, later criticized Comey’s spirited defense of the government’s detention of suspected terrorist Jose Padilla, an American citizen, as an enemy combatant. (See also war on terrorism.) Comey left the Justice Department in 2005 to become general counsel of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, then the largest defense contractor. He later served as general counsel (2010–13) at Bridgewater Associates, then the largest hedge fund.

FBI director: Hillary Clinton e-mail inquiry, Donald Trump, and firing

In June 2013 Pres. Barack Obama officially nominated Comey to head the FBI, replacing the retiring Robert Mueller. Comey was easily confirmed by the Senate, and his 10-year term began on September 4, 2013. Notable events during his tenure included the agency’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server during her term as secretary of state. In July 2016, shortly before Clinton was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, Comey—in an unprecedented move—gave a press conference in which he questioned her judgment but announced that she had been cleared of criminal impropriety. The decision not to bring charges was sharply criticized by Clinton’s opponents, including the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. However, less than two weeks before the November 8 election, Comey effectively reopened the case when he sent a letter to Congress disclosing a review of recently discovered Clinton e-mails; at the time, Trump stated that the move had restored Comey’s reputation. Comey’s announcement that no criminal activity had been uncovered in the new e-mails came two days before the election, which Clinton lost.

After Trump was sworn in as president in January 2017, he reportedly asked Comey to continue as FBI director. In March Trump accused Obama of wiretapping his telephones during the presidential race, but Comey dismissed the allegations when he testified before a congressional committee later that month. However, Comey did confirm that since July 2016 the FBI had been investigating whether members of Trump’s campaign had colluded with Russian officials to win the election. Some criticized the director for not having publicly revealed the probe during the election—as he had when the FBI reviewed additional Clinton e-mails.

At a Senate hearing in May, Comey defended his handling of the Clinton inquiry and claimed that he felt “mildly nauseous” over the possibility that the FBI’s actions influenced the election. In addition, he touched on his agency’s investigation into Trump’s campaign advisers and alleged that Russian interference in U.S. elections would continue to be a major threat. Less than a week later, on May 9, Trump abruptly fired Comey, citing the recommendation of DOJ officials who faulted Comey’s conduct during the Clinton probe. Notably, the FBI director was accused of treating Clinton unfairly, with both the July press conference and the October letter to Congress being deemed inappropriate. Critics, however, alleged that Comey was dismissed because of the Russia inquiry, and Trump later conceded that the investigation had been one of his reasons for firing Comey.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

The DOJ’s inspector general oversaw a lengthy investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Clinton case, and the final report was released in June 2018. While it was critical of Comey’s actions—notably, it called him “insubordinate” and concluded that his deviations from the FBI’s standard procedures damaged the agency’s reputation for fairness—it found no evidence that he had been politically motivated. In addition, the FBI was not faulted for its decision not to charge Clinton.

In September 2025, following public pressure from Trump, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia announced a federal grand jury had indicted Comey on two criminal counts—one of making a false statement and another of obstruction relating to testimony he gave the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020. In a video posted after the indictment was returned, Comey compared the government’s action to those of a tyrant and denied the charges, saying:

My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial.

In October, Comey pleaded not guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Va. A trial was scheduled to start in January 2026, but in November 2025, a U.S. district judge ruled that prosecutor Lindsey Halligan had been unlawfully appointed to her position by Trump and the indictment against Comey was thrown out. Comey’s attorneys had argued for dismissal on grounds of Halligan’s appointment and that the prosecution was vindictive.

In April 2026, the Trump Justice Department again secured an indictment against Comey; this time for a social media post that was seen as threatening the president. The indictment says that in May 2025, Comey posted a photograph on Instagram with the phrase “86 47” made out of seashells. As “86” is often slang to get rid of something and Trump is the 47th president of the United States, the post caused a stir when it was originally put online. At the time, Comey removed the post saying he was unaware of the potentially violent connotation. He was questioned by the Secret Service, said he had no intention to harm the president, and the matter was dropped. But the 2026 indictment charges that Comey “did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the president of the United States.” 

In October 2026, the Justice Department charged Comey criminally for a third time; this time over an alleged leak of a sensitive national security document when he was FBI director in October 2016. Comey moved to have the charges dropped, saying that the statute of limitations had expired. The Justice Department said the charge would allow the investigation to extend beyond the 10-year deadline.

Memoir and later activities

In May 2017 Comey’s memo concerning a February meeting with Trump was leaked to the media. It notably claimed that the president had asked him to drop the FBI inquiry into Michael T. Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser who was being investigated as part of the Russia probe. Shortly after the memo’s release, Robert Mueller was named special counsel to the Russia investigation. In June Comey appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee. He testified that he had written memorandums on all his interactions with Trump, because of concerns that the president might lie about what was said. Furthermore, Comey revealed that he had indirectly leaked the memo in May in the hope that it would result in a special counsel being assigned to the Russia inquiry. Comey also stated that Trump was not being investigated by the FBI.

In 2018 Comey published the memoir A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, in which he was highly critical of Trump, alleging that the president was “unethical, and untethered to truth.” The book—as well as Comey’s often pointed comments during the ensuing media tour—drew the ire of Trump, who referred to Comey as a “slimeball.” The memoir later served as the basis for the miniseries The Comey Rule (2020), with Jeff Daniels in the lead role. Comey later wrote Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust (2021).