Former FBI Director Comey subpoenaed by federal prosecutors, US media reports

James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is seen in a frame grab from a video feed as he is sworn in remotely from his home during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing exploring the FBI's investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian election interference in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2020. (U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Former FBI Director James Comey has been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors in Miami as part of the U.S. Justice Department's investigation into former officials who have previously probed and prosecuted President Donald Trump, CBS News and Axios reported on Thursday, citing sources.

The investigation has produced more than 130 subpoenas since cranking up last year, and targets top officials who worked under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Axios reported.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative of Comey could not be reached. Comey's attorneys declined to comment to CBS News.

Reuters reported late last year federal prosecutors were preparing grand jury subpoenas to investigate Obama-era intelligence officials who produced an assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election that Trump won.

Comey oversaw an investigation into whether Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. Trump's firing of Comey prompted then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller's investigation dogged much of Trump's first term. He ultimately concluded there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The Trump Justice Department has also faced some legal and judicial roadblocks as it pursues investigations into critics and antagonists of the president during his second term. 

A judge in November dismissed indictments against Comey and New York state Attorney General Letitia ⁠James, who each ​previously led investigations into Trump.



(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Rod Nickel)