WASHINGTON, DC — For nearly a decade, Donald Trump has waged a relentless campaign of retribution against former FBI Director James Comey. What started as angry tweets escalated into calls for arrest and treason trials, then morphed into two federal criminal indictments, both pursued after career prosecutors declined to bring charges. In the latest chapter of this years-long vendetta, Acting Attorney General and former Trump personal lawyer Todd Blanche secured a second indictment of Comey, this time over an Instagram post – a stark illustration of how the Justice Department has been transformed into a weapon aimed at the president’s critics.
Under Trump, “justice” moves are not blind: perceived political enemies face federal prosecution for exercising their constitutionally protected right to free speech, while his allies receive pardons and protection.
Here’s the timeline:
January 2017: The Loyalty Dinner
- Though Trump initially praised Comey’s efforts to investigate Hillary Clinton just 11 days before the 2016 election, their relationship collapsed almost immediately. One week into his presidency, Trump invited Comey to a private White House dinner and demanded a pledge of personal loyalty. Comey declined. When Trump pressed again, allegedly telling Comey, “I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.”
February 2017: Trump Pressures Comey on Flynn Investigation
- Trump privately asked Comey to drop the FBI’s investigation into fired National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Trump allegedly told him: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” Once again, Comey declined and documented the conversation.
March 2017: Russia Investigation Goes Public
- Comey publicly confirmed he’d begun investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, including potential coordination with the Trump campaign.
May 2017: Trump Fires Comey
- In May 2017, Trump fired Comey, the first FBI director ever removed while overseeingan active investigation into the president who fired him. The White House’s cover story fell apart within 48 hours when Trump contradicted his own press office and acknowledged he’d already decided to fire Comey, with the Russia investigation in mind.
- Two days after firing Comey, Trump posted a public warning on social media: “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Legal scholars and members of Congress immediately flaggedthe message as potential witness intimidation. Trump later admitted no tapes existed.
April 2018: The Memoir And First Calls For Prosecution
- In April 2018, Comey published a memoir describing Trump as “unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values.” Trump slammed Comey as an “untruthful slime ball” who “should be prosecuted.”
September 2020: Senate Testimony And Renewed Prosecution Demands
- In September 2020, Comey testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation. Trump escalated his rhetoric after the hearing, saying Comey “should be arrested on the spot” and later demanding he “should be tried for treason.”
September 2025: First Indictment After Firing Career Prosecutor
- In September 2025, less than a week before the five-year statute of limitations expired, a federal grand jury in Virginia indicted Comey on two counts stemming from his 2020 Senate testimony, despite the fact that career prosecutors had already reviewed the matter and found insufficient evidence to proceed.
- Trump fired U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert for opposing the charges and replaced him with a loyalist. The final two-page indictment was signed only by Siebert’s replacement, without endorsement from career prosecutors – a standard DOJ practice.
November 2025: Federal Judge Dismisses First Indictment
- In November 2025, a district judge dismissed the indictment, ruling that Trump’s replacement prosecutor had been illegally appointed to her position after Siebert’s firing. The ruling exposed the procedural corruption behind Trump’s retribution campaign.
April 2026: Second Indictment Over Instagram Post
- With the first indictment dismissed without prejudice, the Trump administration brought a second. On April 27, acting Attorney General and Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche secured an indictment against Comey on two counts stemming from an Instagram post. Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig called the DOJ’s case “sorely lacking and deeply problematic,” warning it could criminalize ambiguous political expression protected by the First Amendment.