File photo: FBI Director James Comey testifies during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017.
Joshua Roberts | Reuters
Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with threatening President Donald Trump when he posted an image of a seashell spelling out “8647” on his Instagram account last year, a person familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
The charges have not yet been made public, but it marks the second time Comey has been indicted in a federal case since the beginning of President Trump’s second term.
The indictment came three days after President Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after a suspected gunman ran toward the banquet hall where the event was being held.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the reported charges. The White House referred CNBC to the Department of Justice.
President Trump accused Comey, a longtime enemy, of “calling for the assassination of the president” by sharing an image of the numbers in a May 15 post.
Source: @comey | Instagram
“Eighty-Six” is a term often used in the restaurant industry when a menu is discontinued. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word has a broader meaning of “to kick out, fire, or eliminate (someone).”
Mr. Trump is the 47th president of the United States.
Comey denied at the time that he had threatened Trump with the shell post, writing in a follow-up that he had “no idea that some people would associate these numbers with violence.” He said he deleted it anyway because “I am against violence of any kind.”
The Trump administration investigated Comey over his social media posts, but no charges were immediately filed.
But about four months later, he was indicted in Virginia on one count each of making false statements to Congress and obstructing Congress.
Comey denied the charges brought against him by Lindsay Harrigan, President Trump’s former personal attorney who was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
In November, a federal judge ruled that Harrigan was illegally appointed and dismissed the criminal case against Comey.
Comey is one of a number of Trump’s opponents who have been indicted or faced federal investigation since he returned to office in January 2025.
In a social media post in September, President Trump publicly urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., claiming that “they are all culpable.”
Mr. James was indicted weeks later on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. A federal judge invalidated Harrigan’s appointment, and her case was also dropped.
The Justice Department investigated Mr. Schiff on suspicion of mortgage fraud, but federal prosecutors reportedly said they did not believe there was enough evidence to indict Mr. Schiff.
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