US President Donald Trump demanded details regarding the interview of former FBI Director James B. Comey by agents, according to a new legal filing. The disclosure adds to a series of developments in the ongoing legal battle between Trump and Comey, who was charged in April 2025 with two felonies over a social media post that prosecutors say amounted to a threat against the president.
Comey has accused federal prosecutors of authorizing illegal surveillance and using mobster terminology to bring charges against him. His lawyers alleged that a top US Department of Justice (DOJ) official directed the US Secret Service to conduct unlawful electronic tracking of his cellphone.
According to filings in a North Carolina federal court, the electronic surveillance included tracking Comey and his wife. The court documents show discussions among US Secret Service personnel about 'pinging' Comey's phone.
An FBI agent interviewed former Gambino crime family underboss-turned-informant Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano regarding the Mafia's use of the term '86,' which Gravano said gangsters used to refer to killing someone. The agent also requested a review of the bureau's file for the case against mobster John Gambino, which Comey worked on as a young prosecutor, but found no reference to '86.' Gravano stated he did not recall discussing the term with Comey or hearing it in connection with the trial.
This is the second case brought against Comey since Trump returned to the White House in 2025. A previous indictment for allegedly lying to Congress was dismissed in November by a judge, who ruled that the interim US attorney who obtained the indictment, former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, had been illegally appointed. That judge also dismissed unrelated mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who oversaw the 2023 civil prosecution of Trump for exaggerating his wealth to obtain business loans.
A US Department of Justice spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the case in a statement to The Independent. The White House also declined to comment and referred inquiries to the DOJ, which previously stated: 'A North Carolina grand jury indicted Comey, and he'll have his day in court.'