A newly declassified trove of FBI documents is raising fresh questions about fired FBI Director James Comey’s role in advancing the “Russia collusion” narrative against President Donald Trump — and whether classified information was deliberately leaked to undermine his presidency.
Just the News founder John Solomon discussed the revelations on Fox News’ Hannity, outlining how Comey allegedly bypassed official FBI press channels to shape media coverage in Washington. According to Solomon, Comey aimed to restore his standing with Democrats after the 2016 election while simultaneously damaging Trump’s reputation.
“What you find out is that James Comey decided not to work through the FBI press office when he wanted to change the narrative in Washington, burnish his reputation against attacks from Democrats, and try to sully Donald Trump’s reputation,” Solomon said.
According to Solomon, Democrats were enraged with Comey for announcing, just days before the election, that new evidence might exist in the Hillary Clinton email investigation — a move Clinton later claimed cost her the presidency. In what appeared to be an attempt to regain favor and advance the Russia collusion narrative, Comey allegedly enlisted Columbia Law professor Daniel Richman as an unofficial conduit to the media.
Solomon said Richman admitted to the FBI that he leveraged his connection with New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt to generate favorable coverage for Comey and help cement the collusion storyline. Schmidt co-authored the Pulitzer Prize-winning series on Trump and Russia — reporting that Trump is now suing over.
“This guy worked around the official channels of the FBI press office,” Solomon said. “At one point, the FBI noted, you met with James Comey. He gave you access to classified information. A short while later, you had a conversation with that New York Times reporter, and he ends up reporting something that appears to be classified.”
When questioned by the FBI, Richman offered what Solomon characterized as a Clinton-style non-denial. The documents indicate the bureau had “strong suspicions” that Comey used Richman as a backchannel to leak sensitive information. However, Solomon noted there is no evidence that either Comey or Richman was ever called before a grand jury to address the matter.
“They didn’t put Comey before the grand jury. That we can tell. They didn’t appear to put this gentleman, Daniel Richman, before the grand jury,” Solomon said, comparing the inaction to how then-Rep. Adam Schiff has avoided legal accountability despite whistleblower allegations.
“I think if Pam Bondi goes the grand jury route… there is some pretty clear evidence of a strong apparatus put in place to make these leaks occur, according to the FBI documents,” Solomon added.