Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on Tuesday for allegedly threatening the life of US President Donald Trump, officials said. The charges come five months after an earlier case against the vocal Trump critic was dismissed.
A North Carolina grand jury has filed an indictment against James Comey, linking it to an Instagram post from last May in which seashells were arranged to spell out “86 47.” “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in an independent federal judiciary, so let’s go,” Comey said in a video statement, AFP reported.
What was Comey’s contribution?
At the age of 65, Comey posted a photo on Instagram on May 15, 2025, showing seashells arranged in an “86 47” shape.
Comey removed the Instagram post soon after he shared it, explaining that he didn’t realize some people were associating the numbers with violence and stressing that he was against violence in any form, which is why he took it down.
In an interview with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, he said the post was intended to be completely harmless and described it as “crazy” that others saw it as a call for violence against the 47th president.
Former FBI Director James Comey’s Instagram post deleted.
Despite this, he was quickly questioned by the United States Secret Service after Trump administration officials claimed the post promoted an attempt on the life of Trump, the 47th president.
The case was filed in eastern North Carolina, where Comey said he came across the shells.
As the AP reported, the case was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the state where Comey found the shells. “Well, they’re back — this time about a picture of seashells on a beach in North Carolina a year ago, and it’s not over,” Comey said in a video statement on Tuesday. “But nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in an independent federal judiciary. So let’s go.”
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The two-count indictment accuses Comey of “knowingly and intentionally” making threats against Trump to “take life and bodily harm” and of spreading the threat in interstate commerce. He does not provide evidence that Comey knowingly threatened Trump, especially when Comey said otherwise, but suggested that “a reasonable recipient familiar with the circumstances would have interpreted the message as a threat,” the AP reported.
What does 86 mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, the term “86” is commonly used in slang to mean “throw away”, “get rid of”, or “refuse to serve”. The dictionary adds that a newer, less common interpretation extends that meaning to “kill,” but notes that it does not formally include that definition because it is relatively recent and not widely used, the AP reported.
In an interview with Fox News Channel in May, Trump accused Comey of “knowing exactly what that means.”
“The kid knows what that meant,” Trump said. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, it meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in September on allegations that he misled Congress in 2020 about whether he approved sharing details of the investigation with a journalist. He denied any wrongdoing. The case was later dismissed after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who filed the indictment was illegally appointed.
Comey’s strained relationship with Trump
Comey was FBI director when Trump took office in 2017, appointed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and previously served as a senior Justice Department official in the Republican administration of President George W. Bush.
But the relationship was strained from the start, even after Comey resisted Trump’s request at a private dinner to pledge his personal loyalty to the president — an overture that so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a current memo.
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Trump fired Comey in May 2017 amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. That investigation, later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, found that while Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the Trump team welcomed the help, there was insufficient evidence to prove criminal collusion.
Here’s what Blanche had to say
The AP reported at a news conference Tuesday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a close ally of Donald Trump and his former personal lawyer, declined to provide details on any evidence of the government’s intent, while indicating that he wanted to show that he was the right choice to fill the role permanently. “How do you prove intent in any case? You prove intent with witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself, if that’s appropriate. And so in this case, we’re going to prove intent.”
And in an effort to refute claims that Comey was selectively prosecuted, Blanche argued that the case against the former FBI director was similar to other threat cases the department routinely brings against lesser-knowns.
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“While this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the defendant’s name, his alleged conduct is the same type of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and prosecute regularly,” Blanche said.
I am still innocent, I am still not afraid, and I still believe in an independent federal judiciary.
Comey’s legal team said in a statement that it will “challenge these allegations in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Comey and the First Amendment.” They said he “vehemently denies” the allegations, the AP reported.
(With input from agencies)
Key things
- The interpretation of symbols and numbers can have serious legal consequences.
- Public figures must navigate the complexities of social media and its potential for miscommunication.
- The case raises questions about freedom of speech and the limits of expression in political discourse.
