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Agence France-Presse

Former FBI director James Comey has been indicted for threatening the life of Donald Trump, officials said on Tuesday, five months after a previous case against the outspoken critic of the US president was thrown out.
The indictment by a grand jury in North Carolina stems from an Instagram post the 65-year-old Comey made in May last year that showed the numbers “86 47” spelled out in seashells.
Trump alleged in an interview with Fox News at the time that “86” was slang for kill and “47” was a reference to his being the 47th president.
“He knew exactly what that meant,” Trump said. “That meant assassination.”
Comey responded dismissively to the charges and vowed to fight them.
“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 posted on social media.

“I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go.”
The indictment alleges the “86 47” reference in the seashell pattern was a “serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States”.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Comey faces one count of “wilfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States” and another of making an interstate threat.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“I think it’s fair to say that threatening the life of anybody is dangerous and potentially a crime,” Blanche said. “Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.”
Comey apologised at the time for the Instagram post and said he “didn’t realise some folks associate those numbers with violence”.

“It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he said.
Comey’s indictment comes three days after a gunman was arrested for allegedly attempting to assassinate Trump during a Washington dinner hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Comey was charged in September with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding in what was widely seen as retribution by the Republican president against a political opponent.
A federal judge threw out the case on the grounds the US attorney hand-picked by Trump who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.
The judge tossed a separate case at the same time that was brought against another Trump foe, New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Another Trump critic, his former national security adviser John Bolton, has been indicted for allegedly transmitting and retaining classified information.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin denounced the latest prosecution of Comey, calling the indictment “baseless” and “petty retribution”.
“This is another case of a weaponised Justice Department lashing out on behalf of a vengeful president,” Durbin said in a statement.
Comey was appointed to head the FBI by former president Barack Obama in 2013 and was fired by Trump in 2017 amid a probe into whether members of Trump’s presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 election.
The September charges against Comey came days after Trump publicly urged then-attorney general Pam Bondi to take action against the former FBI director and others - a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free from White House pressure.
Bondi was fired this month, reportedly in part because of her failure to secure indictments of Trump’s political opponents.
Since taking office, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against perceived enemies, purging government officials he deemed disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.
Blanche, named acting attorney general after Bondi’s firing, has defended the investigations into his opponents.
“It is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president, in the past, has had issues with and believes should be investigated,” he said. “That is his right, and indeed, it is his duty to do that.”
Comey’s indictment came on the same day a judge ruled that his daughter, Maurene Comey, can proceed with a lawsuit alleging that her firing as a federal prosecutor last year was politically motivated.


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Donald Trump

Ex-FBI director Comey charged with threatening Trump’s life in Instagram post

Former FBI director James Comey has been charged with making threats to harm US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters

Former FBI director James Comey in 2020. Photo: AP

The since-deleted seashell Instagram post. Photo: @comey/Instagram 

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche announces charges against James Comey. Photo: Reuters

James Comey’s indictment comes three days after a gunman was arrested for allegedly attempting to assassinate Donald Trump during a Washington dinner. Photo: Bo Erickson via Reuters

Washington media dinner suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump

Cole Tomas Allen appearing in federal court in Washington on Monday. Image: Dana Verkouteren via AP

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney in Washington, points at a picture of a shotgun carried by Cole Tomas Allen. Photo: Reuters

Cole Tomas Allen being detained on Saturday night. Photo: Donald Trump/Truth Social via Reuters

Trump demands firing of Kimmel over ‘expectant widow’ joke

President Donald Trump has called on ABC to immediately fire late night host Jimmy Kimmel. Photo: AFP

US TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Photo: AFP

US first lady Melania Trump and US President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, before the shooting. Photo: TNS

US President Donald Trump being rushed out after a shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. Photo: Bo Erickson via Reuters

US judge tosses cases against Trump foes James Comey and Letitia James

A federal judge dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Photo: AFP

New York Attorney General Letitia James. Photo: TNS

Both indictments were brought by Lindsey Halligan, who was hand-picked by Donald Trump. Photo: Lindsey Halligan via TNS

US President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Photo: TNS

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Former special counsel Robert Mueller arrives for a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in July 2019. Photo: AP

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The charges relate to a post on James Comey’s Instagram account from May 2025 showing sea shells spelling out the numbers ‘86 47’


The charges relate to a post on James Comey’s Instagram account from May 2025 showing sea shells spelling out the numbers ‘86 47’.


Ex-FBI director Comey charged with threatening Trump’s life in Instagram post

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The charges relate to a post on James Comey’s Instagram account from May 2025 showing sea shells spelling out the numbers ‘86 47’

The charges relate to a post on James Comey’s Instagram account from May 2025 showing sea shells spelling out the numbers ‘86 47’