Topline
The Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey over allegations an Instagram post he made depicting seashells spelling out “86 47” was a threat against President Donald Trump, Comey’s second indictment after a judge tossed a previous indictment of allegedly obstructing and lying to Congress.
A judge tossed a previous indictment against Comey last year. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Specific charges against Comey were not immediately clear, though multiple outlets reported the charges stem from a post Comey made on Instagram in May 2025 that depicted seashells spelling out “86 47,” which Trump said appeared to be a threat against him.
Trump, in an interview following Comey’s post, said the former FBI director “knew exactly what that meant” and asserted he was “calling for the assassination of the president.”
The phrase “86” is often used to mean “throw out” or “get rid of,” according to Merriam-Webster, and Trump is the 47th president of the United States.
In a follow-up post last year, Comey said he assumed the seashells were a “political message” but he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” adding he deleted the original post because “I oppose violence of any kind.”
Comey, whose FBI investigated the 2016 Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, was fired by Trump in 2017 and has remained a subject of his ire.
Tuesday’s indictment is the second case the Justice Department has brought against the former FBI director after he was indicted last year on since-dismissed charges of lying to and obstructing Congress during testimony he gave in 2020.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/04/28/justice-department-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey-over-86-47-instagram-post/
