Second Indictment Targets Former FBI Director Over Social Media Post Interpreted as Threat to President Trump
Prosecutors argue a reasonable recipient would interpret the post as an instruction to kill the 47th President, marking a renewed legal assault on the former bureau chief after a previous charge regarding congressional testimony was dismissed last year.
The United States Department of Justice has formally indicted former FBI Director James Comey for the second time, this time charging him with knowingly and willfully making a threat against the life of President Donald Trump. The indictment, issued on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, stems from a social media post made nearly a year prior which depicted seashells arranged on a beach in the shape of the numbers "86 47".
Prosecutors argue that a reasonable recipient familiar with the circumstances would interpret this specific arrangement as an instruction to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon the President. The two-count charge alleges that Comey transmitted this threat in interstate commerce. While the Department of Justice maintains that the message was inherently threatening, the indictment does not provide evidence that Comey himself knowingly intended to harm the President.
Comey has previously stated that he was unaware of the violent connotation associated with the numbers when he shared the image. Following an interview with the Secret Service, he noted that while he opposes all violence, he did not know that some individuals associate those specific digits with killing. He subsequently removed the post from his social media profile, asserting his lack of intent to threaten the President.
This legal action follows a previous indictment against Comey in September 2025, which alleged he had lied to Congress regarding the 2016 Russia investigation. That proceeding was dismissed in November of the previous year after a federal judge ruled that the prosecutor overseeing the case had been illegally appointed. The dismissal of the prior case also saw the dropping of bank fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The current prosecution occurs while Donald Trump serves his term as the 47th President of the United States. Trump has long called for the prosecution of political opponents, with a particular emphasis on Comey, who oversaw the early stages of the investigation into whether the 2016 campaign coordinated with Russia. The Justice Department is also pursuing a separate criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan.
