‘Discipline’: James Comey hit with bar complaint over alleged obstruction
A conservative organization filed a bar complaint on Wednesday against former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey in New York and Virginia, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 to 2017, was indicted Sept. 25 on federal charges of obstruction of a congressional proceeding and making false statements to Congress. The complaints, filed by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA), urge bar authorities to investigate Comey — a licensed attorney in both states — and to “administer any applicable discipline given the extent of his potential crimes involving honesty and trustworthiness.”
“Misrepresentation, honesty, and trustworthiness are all factors that the Rules of Professional Conduct expressly factor when weighing whether to discipline an attorney,” the complaint filed in New York, obtained by the DCNF, reads. “Comey’s actions, at a minimum, call into question all three factors. The Committee, therefore, should waste no time before investigating the allegations against Comey and, if by a preponderance of evidence is substantiated, discipline him accordingly.”
Comey pleaded not guilty on Oct. 8 to charges that he lied during his September 2020 testimony before Congress — claiming he had not “authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports” — and obstructed a congressional proceeding.
Although the indictment does not specify which leak Comey allegedly misrepresented, he admitted in 2017 to asking Columbia University law professor Daniel C. Richman to share the contents of at least one memo about a meeting with President Donald Trump with The New York Times.
Even without a criminal conviction, the complaints argue that “[e]nough information already exists to pursue discipline” because, unlike criminal courts, which require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the Virginia State Bar needs only “clear and convincing evidence,” while New York’s Attorney Grievance Committee requires only a “preponderance of evidence.”
“Because Comey has proven willing to say false statements, under oath, during a congressional hearing, he cannot be trusted to be truthful in the practice of law,” the New York complaint reads. “His duties of honesty and trustworthiness to the courts in which he appears are now in question. His actions, without question, constitute ‘misrepresentation.’”
Read the full New York complaint here and the full Virginia complaint here, both filed by the Center to Advance Security in America.
CASA’s Director James Fitzpatrick served in the U.S. Department of Labor during the first Trump administration and provided legal counsel to Republican candidates during the 2024 election, including Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick and President Donald Trump. The organization’s mission is “improving the safety and security of the American people,” according to its website.
“James Comey’s disgraceful actions while serving as the Director of the FBI were nothing but a failed attempt to politically destroy President Donald J. Trump and are an embarrassment to our hard-working federal law enforcement community,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement to the DCNF. “Given that these indictments by the Department of Justice for making false statements to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding involve Comey’s honesty and trustworthiness, the NY and VA State Bars should immediately initiate investigations into whether his alleged illegal conduct violated the rules of professional conduct in either state.”
A 2019 Office of the Inspector General report also found Comey set a “dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees” by leaking memos about his interactions with Trump.
Comey’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss on Oct. 20, alleging “vindictive and selective prosecution” and challenging what they called the “unlawful” appointment of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan, who secured the indictment just four days after Trump selected her for the role.
Comey’s attorney did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.