Some congressional Democrats are going so far as to check their own personal finances after the indictment of James Comey, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: With President Trump calling for Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) to be prosecuted for mortgage fraud, members fear that a loose thread could provide an opening to go after them next.
"Many are ... going through mortgages, tax returns, etc.," one senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of private conversations between members, told Axios.
- "I've explored liability insurance," another House Democrat said. "And so have other members [in case] they come after us legally,"
Driving the news: Comey was indicted Thursday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing an investigation.
- The charges relate to Comey testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 that he did not authorize an FBI official to be an anonymous source, the Justice Department said.
- Comey, whom Trump fired as FBI director in 2017, has said he is "innocent" and has "known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump."
What they're saying: Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios he thinks some members "are going to be, absolutely, targets for this retribution purge."
- Going over personal finances, he said, is "just wise of certain members who are, you know, more prominent targets."
- Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said the Comey indictment shows that "no one is safe."
- Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) said: "Obviously, I think there is a worry that ... this administration is going to dive into your stuff and kind of trump up some bogus charge just because you were critical of the president."
Between the lines: Trump has made no secret of the pressure he has been placing on the Justice Department to prosecute Comey, Schiff and James.
- He prodded Attorney General Pam Bondi in a Sept. 20 Truth Social post, complaining "nothing is being done" to target those three and demanding "action."
- Trump fired U.S. attorney Erik Siebert last week. Siebert's replacement Lindsey Halligan, Trump's former personal lawyer, was the prosecutor who indicted Comey.
The Justice Department is prosecuting Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for allegedly assaulting an ICE officer. She has denied the charges and accused the DOJ of a political prosecution.
- McIver told Axios in a phone interview: "I've been having these conversations since I've kind of gotten to Congress, months ago ... about how you protect yourself."
Zoom out: The Comey indictment is only escalating concerns that have been simmering within the House Democratic caucus for months.
- After McIver's indictment, an investigation into Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and the detention of someone on the staff of Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), many lawmakers began taking out liability insurance, NOTUS first reported.
- Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) told Axios he "did a big push ... to educate members on liability issues, and many purchased professional liability insurance."
Yes, but: Some House Democrats said that because of their low profiles, they aren't especially concerned about being targeted.
- Huffman said he "doesn't have anything like that that I especially worry about. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't cook something up."
- Cisneros said he doesn't plan to check his own finances because "my stuff is in order and ... I haven't done anything illegal."
The bottom line: "I think we're all just bracing for turbulence here," said Huffman.
- Aside from liability insurance, he said, members are boosting their personal security and making sure "everyone you work with and people in your family are on a state of alert."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that Robert Garcia represents California (not New York).
