former fbi director James Comey Indicted over social media posts that U.S. prosecutors said constituted a threat to the president, has surrendered to authorities and appeared in court briefly Donald TrumpAccording to reports from The Guardian and BBC.
The indictment, filed in North Carolina, centers on a 2025 Instagram post in which Comey shared a photo of a seashell with the words “86 47”, prosecutors believed that this reference was directed at Trump, the 47th President of the United States.
The Justice Department claimed that the message could be interpreted as “a serious expression of intent to harm the President of the United States.”
How did James Comey respond?
In response to the controversy, Comey denied any wrongdoing.
He said he did not consider the numbers threatening and believed the post was a political message rather than a call for violence. After facing backlash, he deleted the photo and clarified: “It never occurred to me but I am against violence of any kind so I deleted the post,” the BBC reported.
In a video posted on his Substack, Comey said: “I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary.”
The meaning of “86 47”
Prosecutors argued that “86” is slang meaning to remove or eliminate someone, while “47” refers to Trump’s position as the 47th president. They claimed the combination could reasonably be interpreted as a threat.
Comey’s defense attorneys disputed that explanation, saying the post was removed after people raised concerns about violence and was not intended to be a threat.
appear in court
Comey did not enter a plea during his brief court appearance. His lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said they would seek to dismiss the case, calling it a “selective and retaliatory prosecution,” the BBC reported.
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The defense also noted that Comey has long been a political target of Trump, dating back to his role in the Russia investigation during Trump’s first term.
Trump reacted fiercely to the case, calling Comey a “dishonest person” and saying the word “86” is often understood to be violent slang. Asked if he thought the post was a threat, Trump responded: “Maybe.”
