Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted over a social media post that authorities say contained a coded threat against Donald Trump.
The two-count indictment brought in the Eastern District of North Carolina. stems from a May 2025 Instagram post in which Comey shared an image of seashells arranged to display the numbers “8647.” Prosecutors allege the post constituted a threat in interstate commerce and endangered the life of the president. An arrest warrant has been issued by a court clerk.
Comey deleted the post after it drew widespread political backlash, saying he believed the message was political and did not intend to incite violence. He added that he opposes violence.
Trump rejected that explanation, saying “even a child” understands the meaning of “8647.”
The number “86” is commonly used in restaurant terminology to indicate an item is unavailable or to “get rid of” something, while “47” is widely understood to refer to Trump, the 47th president.
The White House referred all questions about the matter to the Justice Department.
At a news conference Tuesday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that he is “not going” to talk about the evidence.” That’s unfair to him. It’s unfair to the prosecutors.”
