Ex-FBI chief Comey indicted over Instagram seashell photo threatening Trump
▼ Summary
– The US Department of Justice indicted former FBI director James Comey for allegedly threatening President Donald Trump on Instagram.
– The indictment cites a now-deleted image Comey posted in May 2025, showing seashells arranged as the number “8647,” which the DOJ interprets as a threat.
– The number “8647” combines slang for “get rid of” (86) with Trump’s status as the 47th president, while Comey’s caption read “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
– Attorney General Todd Blanche stated Comey “knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm” on Trump.
– Comey claimed he did not realize the numbers were associated with violence and removed the post, and he was previously indicted in September 2025 for lying to Congress, a case later dismissed.
The U.S. Department of Justice has brought a fresh indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, this time accusing him of making a threat against President Donald Trump through a now-deleted Instagram post. CNN first reported the news. The indictment, filed Tuesday in a North Carolina federal court, centers on an image Comey shared last May featuring a seashell arrangement that spelled out the numbers “8647.”
According to the DOJ, the post would lead “a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances” to interpret it “as a serious expression of an intent to do harm.” The slang term “eighty-six” can mean to “get rid of” or “throw out,” as defined by Merriam-Webster, and Trump serves as the 47th president. Comey’s caption simply read, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
Comey posted the image on May 15th, 2025, and removed it shortly afterward. At a press conference on Tuesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche asserted that Comey “knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm” on Trump. The DOJ is charging Comey with threatening the president and transmitting a threat across state lines.
After taking down the post on May 15th, Comey explained, “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.” This is not Comey’s first legal entanglement; he was indicted in September 2025 for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, though a judge later dismissed that case.
(Source: The Verge)
