Former FBI Director James Comey surrendered to US authorities after being charged with threatening President Donald Trump via a social media post. Prosecutors allege his Instagram message, featuring seashells and numbers, conveyed a threat. Comey maintains his innocence, calling the charges vindictive, and plans to fight them in court.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday for allegedly making a threat against President Trump's life via a May 2025 social media post showing seashells arranged to form '8647' — a phrase combining '86' (slang for 'get rid of') and Trump's presidential number 47. Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017, has called himself innocent and plans to fight the charges, which carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence. This is the second attempt to prosecute Comey; the first case was dismissed in November.
Former FBI director James Comey has been charged over a social media photo of seashells that officials say constituted a threat against US President Donald Trump.
Former FBI Director James Comey was charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump after sharing an image on Instagram containing numbers that '86' is slang for 'eject' or 'remove'. Comey insisted he did not know what the numbers meant. A federal judge dismissed the case two months later, ruling the interim prosecutor who brought the charges was improperly appointed. Comey was also separately indicted in late September on charges of lying to Congress during 2020 testimony and obstructing a congressional proceeding, pleading not guilty before that case was also dismissed.
The indictment stems from a 2025 photo of seashells posted by Comey that critics have said encouraged violence against the US president.
James Comey, former FBI director and longtime Trump critic, has been indicted by the Justice Department in a second criminal case. The charges stem from a social media post showing shells reading '86 47' that Trump administration officials claimed advocated the assassination of Trump, the 47th president. Comey deleted the post, saying he didn't realize some people associate those numbers with violence and that he opposes violence of any kind.
The Justice Department has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on two counts of allegedly threatening President Trump by posting a photo on Instagram last year showing seashells arranged to say "8647" — with 86 being slang for "get rid of" and 47 referring to Trump as the 47th president. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the unsealed indictment at a press conference, saying threatening the president's life will never be tolerated. Comey has denied the charges, saying he didn't realize some people associate the numbers with violence and that he believed it was a political message, not a violent threat. This is the second attempt by the Trump DOJ to indict Comey; a previous indictment was dismissed in November.
The Justice Department has secured an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, the second time the Trump administration has indicted him. The case centers on a 2024 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to read "8647" — with 86 being slang for "get rid of" and 47 referring to President Trump as the 47th president. Donald Trump Jr. accused Comey of "calling for my dad to be murdered" at the time. A federal judge dismissed an earlier DOJ attempt to indict Comey last November, finding the acting U.S. attorney was unlawfully appointed, but the cases were dismissed without prejudice.
