US charges ex-FBI chief over post interpreted as threat to Trump

The U.S. Justice Department has indicted former FBI director James Comey over a social media post that Trump allies interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.

The case, filed in the federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, accuses Comey of threatening the life of the president and transmitting a threat across state lines, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

It centres on an Instagram post published in May 2025 showing seashells arranged as “86 47”, a sequence officials said could be read as a coded reference to Trump, the 47th president.

U.S. officials previously investigated the post, and Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service, but no charges were initially brought.

“I didn't realize 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,” Comey said shortly after posting it.

Following the indictment, Comey said in a video: “I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid,” Comey said, adding: “This is ⁠not how the Department of Justice is supposed to be.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the decision, saying: “While this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate, and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute.” 

Comey’s lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald said: “We will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr. Comey ⁠and the First Amendment.” 

By Aghakazim Guliyev