The Reckoning of James Comey

James Comey’s indictment cannot be seen in isolation. It is a necessary corrective in a much larger drama of institutional decay, one that implicates not just the FBI but the entire intelligence community. Comey’s actions were among the most egregious, but he is far from the only architect of the damage. John Brennan and James Clapper belong in this reckoning too, because their betrayals helped hollow out the credibility of our security state.

The charges against Comey allege that he made false statements to Congress and obstructed oversight in his 2020 testimony about the FBI’s Russia investigation. These are not minor procedural claims. They carry deep significance, because the head of America’s principal domestic law enforcement agency is being held criminally responsible for lying under oath. That alone is extraordinary.

But the indictment only scratches the surface. Under Comey’s direction, the FBI leaned on the Steele dossier, a bundle of rumors and partisan research, as a central justification for intrusive surveillance and investigative steps targeting political actors. The Justice Department’s Inspector General found that the dossier’s information was presented to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court without full disclosure of its flaws. The FISA applications in the Crossfire Hurricane probe had at least seventeen “significant errors or omissions.” If the FBI misled the court, that is more than incompetence, it is a breach of the public trust.

Comey’s manipulation of the Clinton email investigation showed the same pattern of political calculation. He held a press conference announcing no charges while condemning her conduct, a move outside normal Department of Justice practice. Then, just before the 2016 election, he reopened the probe in a decision that triggered chaos and suspicion. These actions were not about justice, they were about optics and power.

When he was later fired, Comey removed internal documents, leaked them to the press through intermediaries, and publicly claimed under oath that he had not authorized leaks. That testimony is now central to the indictment. If proven false, it confirms that the head of the FBI manipulated Congress, the courts, and the public narrative for his own ends.

This is not just about one corrupt director. The intelligence community leadership enabled and amplified these abuses. Brennan and Clapper used their positions to validate and defend narratives that were flimsy at best and deceitful at worst. Brennan publicly asserted that Russia had coordinated with Trump’s campaign, often without qualifying the strength of the evidence. Clapper, as Director of National Intelligence, testified before Congress that surveillance programs were lawful and limited even when internal reviews showed serious violations. Their authority provided cover for the entire apparatus to tilt investigations and shape public opinion.

Because of their stature, Brennan and Clapper avoided real accountability. They testified in ways that obscured the truth, and then they stepped into the media spotlight as commentators, reinforcing the very narratives they helped construct from within government. They remain free of scrutiny, yet their role in degrading public trust is undeniable. If accountability means anything, their names must come up next.

The FBI under Comey became a cautionary tale. Inside the bureau, morale collapsed. Outside, half the country came to see the agency as a political weapon. Vladimir Putin himself must have marveled at how easily American intelligence leaders discredited themselves by chasing phantoms of collusion while ignoring the real threat of their own misconduct.

Some will say the Comey indictment is political revenge. That argument ignores the evidence. He lied under oath, obstructed oversight, and turned the FBI into an arm of his ambition. His indictment is not only justified, it is essential. But it should not stop there. Brennan and Clapper should be next, because only when the full scope of this corruption is confronted will there be any hope of restoring faith in the institutions that claim to defend American democracy.

Comey styled himself as a guardian of integrity. In reality, he hollowed it out. His indictment is a beginning. True accountability requires pulling the thread further, until the entire scheme is exposed and corrected.