Former FBI Director James Comey turned himself in to authorities in Virginia on Wednesday to face charges of threatening the life of US President Donald Trump through a social media post.
Comey, a vocal Trump critic, posted a photo on Instagram in May 2025 of seashells arranged in the shape of the numbers 86 and 47, which Trump described as a coded threat.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “86” is a slang term meaning “to throw out” or “to get rid of”, while Trump is the 47th president of the United States.
What is James Comey accused of?
US broadcaster CNN reported that Comey appeared for a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, where he did not speak or enter a plea and was later allowed to leave without conditions.
Comey has been accused of “knowingly and willfully” endangering the president’s life and broadcasting threats at the state level.
His attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said he would argue that the case is a “retaliatory prosecution”, meaning it was brought to punish Comey for exercising his legal rights.
“[The] ’86’ is vague,” John Keller, a former senior Justice Department official who led a task force to prosecute violent threats against election workers, wrote in a text message. associated Press.
“It did not necessarily constitute a threat of violence and the fact that the FBI Director posted it openly and notoriously on a public social media site shows that he did not intend to threaten violence.”
The indictment comes as Trump’s Justice Department makes a renewed effort to target the president’s alleged political enemies with criminal prosecution.
Last year, Trump mentioned Comey by name in social media posts touting criminal charges against his opponents.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru