Newly declassified FBI memorandums sent to Congress this week indicate that former Director James Comey authorized the release of classified information to the New York Times in early 2017, part of an effort to shape public perception of the bureau’s Russia inquiry and prompt the appointment of a special counsel. The documents, transmitted by current FBI Director Kash Patel, show Comey instructed senior officials and outside adviser Daniel Richman to assist reporters covering the nascent Trump-Russia narrative. According to the files, Richman—who held a “special government employee” status giving him Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance—told agents he served as Comey’s conduit to Times journalist Michael Schmidt. He acknowledged providing information drawn from material classified up to the SCI level, though he claimed he could only be “sure with a discount” that he had not passed classified details to the press. Separate memorandums record Comey directing the FBI’s Office of Public Affairs, as well as agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, to brief the newspaper. The disclosures fed at least four stories published between April and May 2017, including an April 23 Times article examining Comey’s handling of the 2016 election. Weeks later, content from Comey’s personal memos describing private conversations with President Donald Trump appeared in the paper; on 17 May 2017 Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein named Robert Mueller as special counsel. The leak investigation—code-named “Arctic Haze” and opened on 14 August 2017—concluded in September 2021 without criminal charges. Justice Department officials cited insufficient evidence to prove who transmitted specific classified passages, though the bureau officially classified the matter as an espionage probe. While the memos reinforce earlier findings by the Justice Department inspector general that Comey’s leaks were “unauthorized,” the newly public material offers the most detailed account to date of how the former director used a privately arranged media channel to influence coverage of the FBI’s work. Lawmakers are reviewing the files to determine whether further action is warranted within the ten-year statute of limitations for mishandling classified information.