The One-Sentence Version
Since January 2025, at least eleven people or groups whom President Trump publicly attacked or accused have afterward been investigated, subpoenaed, searched or charged by federal law enforcement; one has pleaded guilty, several cases have been dismissed or refused by grand juries, and most are still open.
What You Need to Know First
This page is a ledger, not an argument. Our companion explainer, Who Is the Justice Department Investigating, and Why?, tells the larger story of the department under this administration. Here the goal is narrower: to put each case side by side so a reader can look at the pattern, and its exceptions, without taking anyone’s word for it.
How a person gets on this list. Two things have to be true, and both have to be documented with dates:
- Trump publicly named, accused or attacked the person or organization, in a post, a speech, an interview or a signed order.
- After that, the Justice Department, the FBI, a federal grand jury, or agents executing a Justice Department warrant opened an investigation, issued a subpoena, conducted a search, made an arrest or brought charges.
If the order of events runs the other way, or if Trump never named the person, they are not on the main list. We explain each of those exclusions at the end, because they matter as much as the inclusions.
What this list does not prove. A president criticizing someone before prosecutors act does not, by itself, show that he ordered the prosecution. Some of these people may have broken the law. One of them has admitted to it. What the list shows is a sequence: the public naming, then the government’s action, then the outcome. Readers can weigh what that sequence means.
A few terms:
- A grand jury is a panel of ordinary citizens that decides, in secret, whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring federal charges. Grand juries almost always agree with prosecutors, so a refusal (called a “no bill”) is unusual.
- A case dismissed without prejudice can be brought again; one dismissed with prejudice cannot.
- A subject of an investigation is someone whose conduct is being examined. A target is someone prosecutors believe they have substantial evidence against.
At a Glance
Status as of October 14, 2026.
| Person | What federal law enforcement did | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| James Comey | Indicted twice | First case dismissed; appeal pending. Second case delayed to 2027 |
| Letitia James | Indicted | Dismissed; two grand juries then declined to re-indict. Appeal pending |
| Adam Schiff | Criminal investigation | No charges; reported stalled |
| John Bolton | FBI search, then indicted | Pleaded guilty; sentencing October 28 |
| John Brennan | Investigated, subpoenaed | No charges; grand jury date October 15 |
| Lisa Cook | Criminal investigation | No charges; still described as open |
| Jerome Powell | Grand jury subpoenas | Subpoenas blocked by a judge; probe dropped |
| Six Democratic lawmakers | FBI inquiry; indictment sought | Grand jury declined; case dropped |
| Cassidy Hutchinson | Evidence presented to a grand jury | No decision announced |
| Ilhan Omar | Home searched; subpoenas | No charges |
| Reid Hoffman | Two reported investigations | No charges |
The Ledger
James Comey, former FBI director
What Trump said. On May 16, 2025, after Comey posted a photo of seashells arranged as “86 47,” Trump told Fox News, “A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know … that meant ‘assassination,’” and called him “a dirty cop.”[1] On September 20, 2025, in a post addressed to his attorney general, he wrote of Comey, Adam Schiff and Letitia James, “They’re all guilty as hell,” and, “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”[2][3]
What followed. NBC News reported in July 2025 that Comey was under criminal investigation.[4] He was indicted on September 25, 2025, five days after that post, on charges of lying to Congress.[2] On April 28, 2026, a grand jury in North Carolina indicted him a second time, over the seashell photo, on charges of threatening the president.[5]
Where it stands. A federal judge dismissed the first case on November 24, 2025, ruling that the prosecutor who brought it had been unlawfully appointed.[6][7] The Justice Department appealed; a three-judge panel heard arguments on September 15, 2026, and two of the three judges appeared deeply skeptical of the department’s position. There has been no ruling.[8][9] The second case has been delayed until early 2027.[10]
The government’s side. Two separate grand juries agreed to indict. On the second case, the department’s position is that the post was a threat against the president’s life.[5]
Letitia James, New York attorney general
What Trump said. After she won a civil fraud judgment against him in 2024, Trump wrote that “Racist, Corrupt A.G Tish James has been obsessed with “Getting Trump” for years.”[11] She was one of the three people named in his September 20, 2025 post.[2]
What followed. In May 2025, after a referral from the head of the federal housing agency, Bill Pulte, federal prosecutors in Virginia opened a criminal investigation into her mortgage and impaneled a grand jury.[12] She was indicted on October 9, 2025, on bank fraud and false-statement charges.[2]
Where it stands. The indictment was dismissed on November 24, 2025, in the same ruling as Comey’s.[6] Prosecutors then went back to grand juries, which declined to indict her again.[13] The department’s appeal of the dismissal is pending alongside Comey’s.[9]
Adam Schiff, U.S. senator
What Trump said. On July 15, 2025, Trump posted: “Mortgage Fraud is very serious, and CROOKED Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice.”[14]
What followed. Federal prosecutors in Maryland examined a mortgage-fraud referral against him. The exact date the investigation opened has not been made public, so we cannot say for certain whether it began before or after that post; Trump’s attacks on Schiff go back years before either.
Where it stands. NBC News reported, citing sources, that the probe stalled.[15] No charges have been filed.
John Bolton, former national security adviser
What Trump said. In November 2020, Trump called Bolton “a lowlife who should be in jail, money seized, for disseminating, for profit, highly Classified information.”[16] On his first day back in office in January 2025, he signed an order criticizing Bolton’s memoir.[17]
What followed. The FBI searched Bolton’s Maryland home on August 22, 2025.[16] He was indicted that October on 18 counts related to classified information.[18]
Where it stands. On June 26, 2026, Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of retaining classified information and agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine. Asked in court whether he had done what he was charged with, he said, “I did your honor,” and added he was “sorry for it.” Sentencing is set for October 28.[19][20]
The government’s side. This is the case on the list where the defendant has admitted the conduct. The Telegraph reported that the investigation began under the Biden administration.[21] It belongs here because the sequence still holds, and because leaving it out would make the list look more one-sided than the record is.
John Brennan, former CIA director
What Trump said. In August 2018, Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance, citing his “erratic conduct and behavior.”[22] In July 2025, after reports that Brennan was under investigation, Trump said of him and Comey, “I think they’re crooked as hell and maybe they have to pay a price for that.”[23]
What followed. NBC News reported the criminal investigation in July 2025.[4] In November 2025, federal prosecutors in Florida began subpoenaing former officials who had investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.[24] Brennan was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida.[25]
Where it stands. He has not been charged. His grand jury date is October 15, 2026.[25] The prosecutor who subpoenaed him has since resigned.[26]
Lisa Cook, Federal Reserve governor
What Trump said. On August 20, 2025, Trump wrote, “Cook must resign, now!!!”[27]
What followed. The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into mortgage-fraud allegations against her, the Guardian reported on September 4, 2025.[28] (Trump’s housing regulator, Bill Pulte, had asked the attorney general to investigate her the week before Trump’s post.)[27]
Where it stands. She has not been charged and denies the allegations. In October 2026, a senior White House adviser still described the Justice Department investigation as ongoing, and the White House has scheduled its own “committee of inquiry” hearing on her for November 5.[29]
Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve chair at the time
What Trump said. On December 29, 2025, Trump called Powell “an absolute fool.”[30]
What followed. In January 2026, Powell disclosed that federal prosecutors in Washington had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas. Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it.”[31]
Where it stands. Closed. In March 2026, a federal judge blocked the subpoenas, finding “essentially zero evidence” of a crime.[32] U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped the investigation on April 24, 2026.[33]
The government’s side. Pirro said, “Politics is not the lane I’m in right now. My job is to present evidence.”[32]
Six Democratic lawmakers
Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan, all veterans of the military or intelligence agencies, released a video in November 2025 telling service members they can refuse illegal orders.
What Trump said. On November 20, 2025, he posted, “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,“[34] and, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”[35]
What followed. A week after the video was posted, the lawmakers were told the FBI had opened an inquiry. Prosecutors in Washington later sought an indictment.[36]
Where it stands. On February 10, 2026, a grand jury declined to indict them.[36][37] The case was dropped, though the department could still try in another district.[38]
Cassidy Hutchinson, former White House aide
What Trump said. Hutchinson testified to the House January 6 committee in 2022. On March 18, 2024, Trump wrote of her, “Will she be prosecuted for what she did and said?”[39]
What followed. After a referral from House Republicans, federal prosecutors have been presenting evidence to a grand jury in Washington on whether she lied to Congress, CBS News reported in October 2026. In an unusual step, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is handling it.[40]
Where it stands. No charges have been announced.
The government’s side. Part of her testimony was a secondhand account that Trump lunged at the steering wheel of his vehicle on January 6. Trump’s driver later contradicted that account under oath.[40]
Ilhan Omar, U.S. representative
What Trump said. On January 18, 2026, Trump wrote that Omar “should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia.”[41] On January 26 he wrote that “the DOJ and Congress are looking at” her.[42]
What followed. On October 12, 2026, three weeks before the election in which she is on the ballot, Homeland Security Investigations agents searched her Washington-area home under what the Justice Department called “a judicially authorized search warrant.”[43][44][45] The next day, Pirro said her office is also investigating Omar’s financial disclosures.[46]
Where it stands. No charges. The warrant is not public. Anonymous sources have told reporters the investigation concerns her immigration paperwork.[47]
The government’s side. A judge authorized the warrant, and one person familiar with the case told NBC News the investigation has been underway for years, which would mean it began before Trump’s posts. The search itself came after them.[44]
Reid Hoffman, Democratic donor
What Trump said. In January 2024, Trump wrote that E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against him “was funded and conceived of by Reid Hoffman, George Conway, and many others.”[48] On November 14, 2025, he wrote that he would ask Attorney General Pam Bondi “to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman,” among others.[49]
What followed. Bondi then assigned a U.S. attorney to lead that Epstein inquiry.[50] Separately, CBS News reported in May 2026, citing sources, that the Justice Department is investigating funding that Hoffman’s nonprofit provided for Carroll’s legal team.[51]
Where it stands. No charges in either matter. NPR noted that Hoffman had “nothing to do” with Epstein’s criminal cases, though he was friendly with Epstein and exchanged emails with him.[50]
Who We Left Out, and Why
These names come up often in discussions of this subject. Each fails one of the two tests above, and we think readers deserve to know which one.
- E. Jean Carroll. Early reports in May 2026 said the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation of Carroll herself. The U.S. attorney in Chicago said his office “has not opened - and has never opened - a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll.”[52] The reported inquiry concerns her lawsuits’ funding (see Reid Hoffman above). Our companion explainer earlier described an investigation “touching” Carroll; it has been corrected.
- Barack Obama. Trump said in July 2025, “He’s guilty. This was treason.”[53] But no reporting shows the Justice Department naming Obama as a subject, target or subpoena recipient. So far this is rhetoric, not a case.
- Jack Smith. Trump has called the former special counsel “a criminal.”[34] We found no subpoena, search or charge; the only Justice Department step reported is that it was reviewing a referral from House Republicans.[54]
- Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor. In April 2025 Trump signed orders directing investigations of both former officials and said of Taylor, “I think he’s guilty of treason.”[55] Homeland Security later said Krebs was “under active investigation by law enforcement agencies” without naming them.[56] We could not document a Justice Department step for either.
- The Southern Poverty Law Center. Indicted in April 2026. A federal judge rejected its claim of vindictive prosecution, writing that “Though President Trump has specifically criticized the SPLC,” the group had not shown that the prosecutors themselves acted from animus.[57] We found no public attack by Trump before the indictment, so it does not meet our test.
- Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas. The FBI monitored her phone and searched her office in 2026, but we found no public statement by Trump about her beforehand, and reporting says the investigation began under the previous administration.[58]
- Rep. LaMonica McIver and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Both were charged after a 2025 confrontation at an immigration detention center. The Trump comment about McIver we found came after the charges, and we found none about Baraka.[59]
The Other Side of the Ledger
The same question can be asked in reverse: what happened to cases against people on the president’s side? These are the clearest examples. None of them is necessarily improper on its own; presidents have broad power to pardon, and prosecutors drop cases for many reasons. They are here so the pattern can be judged in both directions.
- Eric Adams, New York City mayor. In December 2024, president-elect Trump said Adams “was treated pretty unfairly” and that he would “certainly look at” a pardon.[60] In February 2025, the Justice Department moved to dismiss Adams’s corruption case, saying the prosecution would “interfere with the defendant’s ability to govern in New York City.” Seven prosecutors, including the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, resigned rather than file it.[61] The judge dismissed the case permanently, writing, “Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions.” Adams’s lawyer denied any deal.[62]
- Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat. Charged with accepting at least $598,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani state oil company and a Mexican bank, he was pardoned on December 3, 2025.[63] In October 2026, after Cuellar ran for reelection as a Democrat, Trump wrote that he had “made no deal” but had expected Cuellar “would have routinely gone over to the Republican Party,” and called defeating him “payback for a disloyal and ungrateful person.”[64][65]
- January 6 defendants. On his first day back in office, Trump pardoned about 1,500 people charged over the Capitol attack and commuted 14 sentences.[66] In August 2026, at the department’s request, a judge dropped the last remaining case, writing, “The court cannot write a different ending.”[67]
- Allies in the 2020 election fight. In November 2025, Trump pardoned Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and dozens of others involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 results, in a document that said it “ends a grave national injustice.”[68]
- George Santos, former Republican congressman. Serving a sentence of more than seven years for fraud and identity theft, he had his sentence commuted in October 2025 after about 84 days in prison.[69]
- Changpeng Zhao, founder of the crypto exchange Binance. Pardoned in October 2025 after pleading guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money-laundering program. Binance had done business with the Trump family’s crypto company.[70][71]
What the Record Shows
Across the eleven entries in the main ledger:
- Three people were indicted (Comey, James and Bolton). One pleaded guilty (Bolton).
- Grand juries declined to indict three times: twice for James and once for the six lawmakers.
- Judges threw out the first Comey and James indictments, and prosecutors abandoned the Powell inquiry after a judge blocked its subpoenas.
- Most of the rest remain open without charges: Schiff, Brennan, Cook, Hutchinson, Omar and Hoffman.
The strongest case for the government is that investigations can be legitimate even when the president has attacked the person first, and that Bolton’s guilty plea shows at least one of these cases had real substance. The strongest case against is the rate at which these efforts have failed before neutral checks: judges, and grand juries made up of ordinary citizens, have repeatedly declined to go along.
Common Claims and What the Evidence Shows
“Some of these people broke the law.”
That may be true in some cases, and in one it is established: Bolton admitted his conduct in court. The ledger does not claim everyone on it is innocent. Its question is whether the government’s power is being applied evenly, and that requires looking at who gets investigated alongside whose cases get dropped or pardoned.
“The president is allowed to say what he thinks about his critics.”
He is. The concern this page documents is the sequence: a public demand, followed by federal action against the person named. As our companion explainer describes, the rules adopted after Watergate were meant to keep presidents at a distance from individual criminal cases so that sequence would not happen.
“Trump was prosecuted by his predecessor’s Justice Department, so this is the same thing.”
This is the most common defense, and readers should weigh it. The test this ledger applies is whether the president publicly named the person before prosecutors acted. Readers can apply the same test to any administration’s cases.
Where Things Stand Now
As of October 14, 2026:
- October 15: John Brennan’s grand jury date in Fort Pierce, Florida.[25]
- October 28: John Bolton’s sentencing.[20]
- November 5: The White House “committee of inquiry” hearing on Lisa Cook.[29]
- Pending: The appeals court ruling on whether the Comey and James indictments can be revived.[9]
- Early 2027: Comey’s second case.[10]
- Open: The investigations of Schiff, Cook, Hutchinson, Omar and Hoffman.
This page will be updated as each of these moves.
Sources
1. CNBC: Trump says Comey 8647 post called for assassination (May 16, 2025)
2. FactCheck.org: Appraising the Federal Indictment of Letitia James (October 16, 2025)
4. NBC News: Trump administration targets Comey and Brennan with new investigation (July 2025)
7. Fox News: Federal judge dismisses James Comey, Letitia James indictments (November 24, 2025)
10. NBC News: James Comey seashells case delayed until early 2027 (September 25, 2026)
13. CNBC: DOJ fails again to get grand jury to indict New York AG Letitia James (December 11, 2025)
15. NBC News: The Adam Schiff criminal probe has stalled, sources say
16. CBS News: FBI searches John Bolton’s house (August 22, 2025)
20. NPR: John Bolton pleads guilty in classified documents case (June 26, 2026)
21. The Telegraph: John Bolton investigation ‘began under Biden administration’ (August 28, 2025)
22. Roll Call: Trump Revokes Former CIA Director John Brennan’s Security Clearance (August 15, 2018)
23. Al Jazeera: Trump assails ex-FBI, CIA heads amid reports of criminal probe (July 10, 2025)
25. CBS News: Former CIA chief John Brennan subpoenaed in Florida “grand conspiracy” probe
26. NBC News: Trump loyalist subpoenaed John Brennan before resignation last week
27. NPR: Trump calls for resignation of Fed governor in latest line of attack (August 20, 2025)
29. CNBC: Lisa Cook lawyer questions Trump committee as president slams Fed gov (October 14, 2026)
31. CNBC: What the investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell means for your money (January 12, 2026)
32. NBC News: Judge blocks subpoenas against Fed Chair Jerome Powell (March 2026)
35. Trump on Truth Social (archived): “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” (November 20, 2025)
36. CBS News: Grand jury declines charges against 6 Democrats (February 10, 2026)
38. BBC: US government drops case against Democrats in ‘illegal orders’ video (February 24, 2026)
39. Trump on Truth Social (archived): post on Cassidy Hutchinson (March 18, 2024)
41. Trump on Truth Social (archived): post on Rep. Ilhan Omar (January 18, 2026)
44. NBC News: Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home searched by federal agents in criminal probe (October 12, 2026)
45. CNN: Rep. Ilhan Omar responds after federal officers search her home (October 12, 2026)
46. Axios: Rep. Ilhan Omar under investigation by Jeanine Pirro’s office (October 13, 2026)
50. NPR: At Trump’s urging, Bondi says U.S. will investigate Epstein’s ties to foes (November 15, 2025)
52. BBC: US prosecutor denies launching criminal investigation into E Jean Carroll (May 2026)
53. BBC: Obama blasts ‘bizarre’ Trump claim of 2016 election ‘treason’ (July 23, 2025)
54. ABC News: Ex-special counsel Jack Smith tells Senate panel ‘I stand by’ decisions to charge Trump
58. WJLA: Virginia Rep. says phone calls monitored by FBI as part of Sen. Louise Lucas investigation
60. CBS New York: Trump says he’d “look at” a pardon for NYC Mayor Eric Adams (December 2024)
62. AP: Judge dismisses corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (April 2, 2025)
64. Trump on Truth Social (archived): post on Rep. Henry Cuellar (October 7, 2026)
65. Fox News: Trump calls Democrat he pardoned a ‘loser’ for not switching parties (October 2026)
66. NPR: Trump pardons some 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, commutes 14 sentences (January 20, 2025)
69. AP: Trump commutes sentence of former US Rep. George Santos (October 17, 2025)
70. U.S. Department of Justice: Executive Grant of Clemency, Changpeng Zhao (October 21, 2025)
71. CNBC: Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (October 23, 2025)