Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman said he is turning the materials over to the FBI. | POLITICO Screen grab Comey associate says he turned over memos to the FBI

A friend of James Comey says he has turned over copies of the former FBI director's explosive memos — describing murky encounters with President Donald Trump — to the FBI, sidestepping a request by congressional committees to deliver the materials to Capitol Hill.

Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law professor who Comey identified last week as the go-between who helped disseminate the content of his memos to the press last month, said he is turning the materials over to the FBI, which is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections.


That probe, overseen by special counsel Robert Mueller, includes an investigation into whether any associates of the president colluded with Russians last year — and whether Trump might have obstructed justice when he fired Comey amid the FBI investigation. Comey's memos may be crucial evidence in that aspect of the probe.

Richman's decision comes as several congressional committees have asked for copies of Comey's memos. Comey himself said he turned over his copies to Mueller, but he said he'd be comfortable if Mueller or Richman shared them with Congress.

So far, the memos have been requested by the House and Senate intelligence committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight Committee.