was indicted on Tuesday for allegedly threatening the life of U.S. President Donald Trump, according to officials. The charges come five months after an earlier case against the vocal critic was dismissed.
A North Carolina grand jury issued the indictment against James Comey, tying it to an Instagram post from May last year in which seashells were arranged to spell out “86 47.” “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go,” Comey said in a video statement, AFP reported.
What was Comey’s post?
At 65, Comey posted an Instagram photo on May 15, 2025, showing seashells arranged to form “86 47”.
removed the Instagram post soon after sharing it, explaining that he hadn’t realised some people link those numbers to violence and emphasising that he opposes violence in any form, which is why he took it down.
Speaking to MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, he said the post was intended to be entirely harmless and described it as “crazy” that others viewed it as a call for violence against the 47th president.
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Despite this, he was quickly questioned by the United States Secret Service after officials in the Trump administration claimed the post was promoting an attempt on the life of Trump, the 47th president.
The case was brought in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Comey said he had come across the seashells.
As reported by AP, the case was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the state where Comey found the seashells. “Well, they’re back – this time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago, and this won’t be the end of it,” Comey said in a video statement Tuesday. “But nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let’s go.”
The two-count indictment charges Comey with “knowingly and willfully” making a threat to “take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon” Trump and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. It does not provide evidence that Comey knowingly threatened Trump, especially since Comey has said the opposite, but suggested a “reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret” the message as a threat, AP reported.
What 86 means
According to Merriam-Webster, the term “86” is slang commonly used to mean “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.” The dictionary adds that a newer, less common interpretation extends this meaning to “to kill,” but notes that it does not formally include this definition because it is relatively recent and not widely used, AP reported.
Trump, in a Fox News Channel interview in May, accused Comey of knowing “exactly what that meant.”
“A child knows what that meant,” Trump said. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”
The former FBI director, James Comey, was indicted in September on allegations that he misled Congress in 2020 about whether he had approved sharing details of an investigation with a journalist. He denied any misconduct. The case was later dismissed after a judge ruled that the prosecutor who filed the charges had been unlawfully appointed.
Comey’s strained relation with Trump
Comey was the FBI director when Trump took office in 2017, having been appointed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and serving before that as a senior Justice Department official in President George W. Bush’s Republican administration.
But the relationship was strained from the start, including after Comey resisted a request by Trump 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 contemporaneous memorandum.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017 amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s campaign. That inquiry, 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 a criminal collaboration.
Here’s what Blanche said
AP reported, at a news conference on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a close ally of Donald Trump and his former personal lawyer, declined to provide details about any evidence of intent the government may have, while signalling he aims to show he is the right choice to hold the role permanently. “How do you prove intent in any case? You prove intent with witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself to the extent it’s appropriate. And that’s how we’ll prove intent in this case.”
And in an effort to rebut claims that Comey was being selectively prosecuted, Blanche contended the case against the former FBI director was similar to other threats cases the department routinely brings against the lesser-known.
“While this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute,” Blanche said.
Comey’s legal team said in a statement that they “will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Comey and the First Amendment.” They said he “vigorously denies” the charges, AP reported.
(With inputs from agencies)
- The interpretation of symbols and numbers can lead to serious legal consequences.
- Public figures must navigate the complexities of social media and its potential for miscommunication.
- The case raises questions about free speech and the boundaries of expression in political discourse.
