The U.S. Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey for a second time, alleging he threatened the life of President Donald Trump through a social media post. The charges, announced on Tuesday, carry a potential prison sentence of up to ten years.
The case centers on an Instagram post from May 2025, which featured a photograph of seashells arranged on sand to form the numbers "86 47." Federal prosecutors argue that, as reported by RT and BBC News, a "reasonable recipient familiar with the circumstances" would interpret this as a serious threat. They contend that "86" is slang for eliminating someone and that "47" references Trump's status as the 47th president, framing the post as a call for violence.
Comey, who was appointed by President Barack Obama and later dismissed by Trump during his first term, has denied the allegations. He stated, according to RT, that he "didn't realize some people associate those numbers with violence" and subsequently deleted the post. In coverage by Le Monde, Comey maintains his innocence following the indictment.
The legal action occurs within a context of longstanding tension between the two figures. As noted by Al Jazeera, Trump has repeatedly called for Comey's prosecution, stemming from the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election that Comey oversaw. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche characterized the alleged threat as a "grave violation" of law, linking it to a pattern of "violent incitement" against officials, a connection highlighted in RT's report, which included a related story about a separate assassination attempt.
Media coverage of the incident varies in its framing. Latin American outlets like Clarin and Folha de S.Paulo present the basic facts of the charge and the symbolic meaning of the numbers. European sources like BBC News and Le Monde focus on the origins of the case from the seashell photo and Comey's plea of innocence. RT's report provides the most detailed account of the Justice Department's rationale and includes a critical social media post from Donald Trump Jr., who labeled the post a call for murder.
The indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury in North Carolina, marking the second set of criminal charges Comey faces from the Justice Department.