James Comey Indicted Over Social Media Post Allegedly Threatening Trump

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on Tuesday over a social media post that prosecutors say amounted to a threat against President Donald Trump. This marks a second criminal case against one of the president’s longtime political opponents.

A federal grand jury in North Carolina charged Comey with making a threat against the president and transmitting that threat across state lines, according to a report from the BBC.

The indictment focuses on a May 2025 Instagram post that showed seashells arranged to read “86 47.” Prosecutors claimed the message referred to Trump, the 47th president, and that “86” is slang for removing or killing someone.

The indictment states that Comey “knowingly and willfully” threatened the life of, or intended to inflict bodily harm on, the president by posting the image online, according to NPR. Prosecutors argued that a reasonable person familiar with the situation would see the post as a serious intent to harm Trump.

Comey deleted the post after receiving criticism from Trump supporters. He explained that he did not mean to promote violence.

He found the shells during a walk on the beach and initially saw the arrangement as a political message. Later, he said he took it down after realizing some people interpreted the numbers as a call for violence.

“I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” Comey said after the controversy began, based on multiple reports.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated on Tuesday that threats against the president would not be tolerated. Blanche mentioned that the Justice Department has pursued other cases involving threats against Trump but did not detail how prosecutors plan to demonstrate Comey’s intent.

The charges carry potential prison time if Comey is convicted. NPR reported that Blanche said each count could result in a maximum sentence of 10 years. The Guardian reported that each count could lead to up to five years, indicating different initial accounts of the possible penalty.

This case adds to Comey’s ongoing conflict with Trump. Comey led the FBI when Trump took office in January 2017 and was overseeing the bureau during the early stages of the Russia investigation.

Trump fired him in May 2017, which triggered a series of events leading to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Comey has remained one of Trump’s most notable critics. Trump has consistently attacked him publicly and called for legal action against him.

The indictment comes months after a separate criminal case against Comey was dismissed. In that earlier case, prosecutors accused him of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. A judge dismissed the case after finding that the prosecutor who brought it had been unlawfully appointed.

Comey has denied wrongdoing in both situations. He responded to the latest case by asserting his innocence and expressing his continued trust in the courts, according to The Guardian.

The new indictment will likely test how prosecutors differentiate political speech from a criminal threat, especially in a case involving a former FBI director, a sitting president, and a post that Comey claims was misunderstood.