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Former FBI Director James Comey surrendered to authorities on Wednesday to face a charge of threatening the life of President Donald Trump. The case involves an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to read "86 47." Prosecutors interpret the number "86" as slang for "eliminating" or "getting rid of," while "47" refers to Trump as the 47th president. Comey has denied the allegations, claiming he was unaware of the numbers' meaning and describing the prosecution as politically motivated.
This marks the second time the justice department has brought criminal charges against Comey, a longtime critic of Trump.
Comey did not speak during his brief appearance at a Virginia court, but his attorney said the former director would argue the case was a vindictive prosecution, or punishment for speaking out against Trump, Reuters reported.
In his second term, President Trump has publicly implied that justice department officials should investigate his political adversaries. The government has indicted figures like Comey and New York Attorney General Tish James, who brought fraud cases against the president.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Wednesday the new charges against Comey were "absolutely, positively not" politically motivated.
"Of course, it's serious when you threaten the President of the United States," Blanche told reporters. "Anybody that tries to put forward some narrative that this is just about seashells, or something to the contrary is missing the point. You cannot threaten the President of the United States."
Blanche referenced Saturday's attack at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, in which a man charged towards the ballroom where Trump was in attendance before US Secret Service stopped him.
Comey's original post from May 2025 contained an image of the seashells on a beach that spelled out "86 47", with the caption, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk".
Following a public outcry, Comey deleted the image and posted a follow-up note on Instagram.
Comey pleaded not guilty in October before the case was dismissed in November.
