Fact Check: Did Kash Patel confirm felony convictions against James Comey?
WASHINGTON, DC: A video has recently gone viral on social media platforms, claiming to show Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel confirming felony convictions against former FBI Director James B Comey, sparking strong reactions from online users.
Let us analyze the video and fact-check the claim's authenticity.
Claim: Kash Patel confirmed felony convictions against James Comey
The viral video surfaced on X with the caption, “Kash Patel CONFIRMS felony convictions against James Comey.”
In the video, Patel is heard saying, “As the US Attorney indicated, James Comey will be afforded every matter of due process under the United States Constitution.”
“And as the attorney general indicated, this has been a case that’s been investigated over the past nine, 10, 11 months. These cases take time. Our investigators work methodically. They are career agents, career prosecutors who work these matters.”
“They call the balls and strikes in the field as they see fit, pursuant to the facts of the case and the law. They took that information and made a presentment to a grand jury, a jury of their peers in the district in which the alleged crime took place.”
“And that grand jury spoke. And that grand jury returned a two-count indictment against James Comey; James Comey allegedly threatened the life of the president of the United States.”
Fact Check: Kash Patel announced indictment, not conviction
However, the video shows Patel announcing a grand jury indictment against James Comey on two felony counts, not felony convictions.
The video is from an April 28, 2026, press conference at the Department of Justice announcing charges against Comey, where Patel was joined by then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and W Ellis Boyle, US Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
An indictment is a formal accusation issued by a grand jury when probable cause exists to believe a crime was committed, not a finding of guilt. A conviction, by contrast, is a legal determination of guilt established either through a trial verdict or a guilty plea based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
As of this writing, there have been no new developments in the case.
James Comey faces indictment over alleged threat to Trump
The indictment against the former FBI director followed the posting of a cryptic image on Instagram last year that many interpreted as a veiled threat against Donald Trump.
The indictment includes two counts, the first alleging that Comey knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of, and inflict bodily harm upon, the president.
