James Comey Questions Trump's Mental Fitness and DOJ Independence

Former FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday that President Trump does not seem mentally well and that the Justice Department is being used to target the president's critics rather than uphold the rule of law. Comey, fired by Trump in 2017, told CNN and NBC News that the current level of chaos and disregard for norms exceeds what he saw during Trump's first term.

“He doesn’t seem okay to me,” Comey said. ” He pointed to Trump's late-night posts on Truth Social, including repeated calls to label former President Barack Obama a traitor and demands for his arrest along with other Democrats. Comey described the behavior as obsessive and vindictive.

“Comey said the department cannot target people like an Adam Schiff or Letitia James or Sen. Kelly because the president doesn’t like what they say,” NBC News reported of the interview. Comey has denied any threat, saying the post was not intended that way.

The new charges mark the second time the Trump administration has brought a case against him. A previous indictment from last September on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice was dismissed by a federal judge in November. The Justice Department is appealing the dismissal of that earlier case against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The latest indictment came shortly after Pam Bondi was removed as attorney general and replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche. Comey expressed concern that Bondi’s standards were too high for the administration’s preferences. He urged Blanche to recall the norms he learned as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.

The Justice Department has pursued cases against several figures who have criticized Trump. These include indictments against New York Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud and false statement charges, which a judge dismissed in November, and an October indictment of former national security adviser John Bolton on classified documents charges.

Federal prosecutors also opened an investigation into the Federal Reserve chairman over interest rate policy disagreements before dropping the case last month. A grand jury refused to indict six members of Congress, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, after they encouraged service members to ignore what the lawmakers called illegal orders.

Comey said the department cannot target individuals simply because the president dislikes their speech. Comey argued that the current Justice Department has departed sharply from even the first Trump term, when former Attorney General Bill Barr oversaw it.

“They’re managing to make Bill Barr look principled,” he said. He encouraged Barr to speak out more about the standards he defended.

Comey warned that officials should expect continued efforts to target the president’s perceived enemies. “I would expect there will be more efforts to get the president's enemies because he’s obsessed with it, and that’s really really sad,” he said.

He added that the process itself serves as punishment. “I don’t wake up in the middle of the night thinking about him, but he does thinking about me,” Comey told NBC News. ” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said there is a broader body of evidence against Comey beyond the seashell image but declined to share details.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. " — James Comey, May 12, 2026 (NBC News) Trump and his allies have rejected accusations of politicizing justice. They argue that Democrats first weaponized the legal system against Trump after his initial term.

The current indictment follows an April 2025 Truth Social post in which Trump explicitly called for Comey’s prosecution. ” Critics from across the political spectrum have described the pattern of cases as an erosion of judicial independence. Former President Obama recently warned against the White House directing prosecutions.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Comey’s latest remarks.