Former FBI Director James Comey facing federal charges for an Instagram post he shared in May 2025 that prosecutors say amounted to a threat against President Donald Trump.
The alleged incident stemmed from an image showing seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” The term “86” is commonly used as slang meaning “to remove” or “get rid of” and, in some contexts, to kill.
“It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.” Trump disputed that explanation, saying, “A child knows what that meant.”
The lawyer who served as the seventh director of the FBI in 2013 has been charged with threatening President Donald Trump’s life. This comes after Donald Trump survived a third attempted assassination at the Washington Hilton last weekend.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Comey’s indictment on 2 counts: making a threat against the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Each charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
🚨TODAY: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former FBI Director James Comey for Threats to Harm President Trump
“Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The grand jury returned an… pic.twitter.com/J9MTJzR5OD
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 28, 2026
According to NBC News, Blanche said defendant James Comey “knowingly and willfully” made threats against Donald Trump, then added, “I think it’s fair to say that threatening the life of anybody is dangerous and potentially a crime.”
Blanche also stated, “Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.”
He pointed out that the DOJ has charged “dozens” of individuals who allegedly made threats against officials in power. Blanche warned that “we take these seriously, every single one of them.”
A former defense attorney, Blanche has served as attorney general since April 2026. He previously represented several figures in Trump’s orbit, including Trump’s former presidential campaign manager, Paul Manafort, 75, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
BREAKING: The Trump DOJ has now indicted James Comey for his “8647” Post on Social media.
Is this not the most ridiculous thing ever? pic.twitter.com/fPPJSMVQQJ
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 28, 2026
According to the BBC, Comey claimed he was unaware of any violent connotation tied to the numbers. However, Trump and several officials in his administration interpreted the post as a threat directed at the Republican president serving his second term.
“I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary,” Comey said.
At the press conference, FBI Director Kash Patel said that, given Comey’s former role as FBI director, Comey was likely aware of the potential impact of the post and still chose to share it.
“James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump’s life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see,” Patel said on Tuesday.
Comey was terminated by Donald Trump during his first presidential term after initiating an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Comey was fired by Trump during Trump’s first term in office. Trump dismissed him in May 2017, shortly after Comey’s FBI was overseeing an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In an official statement, then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump had informed Comey of his termination, after acting on recommendations from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Despite being publicly neutral about James Comey’s termination, Donald Trump has been a constant critic of the former director and urged Comey to be prosecuted amid his legal troubles.
In a statement, Comey said, “Well, they’re back. This time, about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. This won’t be the end of it, but nothing has changed with me.”
Earlier, a 45-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested for allegedly making death threats against Trump on Facebook. As of March 19, 2026, the suspect, Andrew Emerald, faces an eight-count federal indictment related to social media posts from 2025.
“Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026, or I am hunting him down and putting him there,” Andrew Emerald said, issuing a direct threat to the president.
