Donald Trump’s Justice Department has indicted ex-FBI boss James Comey for an Instagram post.
The Daily Mail has learned the new indictment relates to an Instagram post Comey made last May featuring seashells arranged to spell out ‘8647’, a phrase adopted by Trump’s critics that the President and his allies have characterized as a call for his assassination.
The number 86 is slang for removing or getting rid of something, though it can also mean to kill. Trump is the 47th President. Comey posted the photo with the caption: ‘Cool shell formation on my beach walk.’
Trump’s allies claimed the post called for the assassination of Trump. Then-Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said the Secret Service would investigate the former FBI director.
Comey later deleted the post the same day, claiming he ‘didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.’
The Secret Service agents conducted an hours-long interview with Comey soon afterward. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the time said he should be ‘put behind bars for this’ and that she was ‘concerned’ Trump’s life was in danger.
Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia last fall on two counts: making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, related to his 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.
A federal judge dismissed the indictment in November, ruling that the prosecutor who brought the case, Lindsey Halligan, had been unlawfully appointed.
The Daily Mail has learned the new indictment relates to an Instagram post Comey made last May featuring seashells arranged to spell out ‘8647’, a phrase adopted by Trump’s critics that the President and his allies have characterized as a call for his assassination
The number 86 is slang for removing or getting rid of something, though it can also mean to kill. Trump is the 47th President. Comey posted the photo with the caption: ‘Cool shell formation on my beach walk’
Trump’s allies claimed the post called ‘for the assassination’ of the Trump. Then-Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said Secret Service would investigate the former FBI director
The Daily Mail has contacted the Justice Department for comment. The DOJ plans to hold a press conference at 4:00 PM ET to discuss the indictment.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s decision to indict him comes a month after Trump fired his predecessor Pam Bondi for failing to pursue his perceived enemies aggressively enough.
The Justice Department initially dropped the seashells investigation into Comey under Bondi tenure but it was revived in recent months, according to the New York Times.
Blanche, who served as Trump’s personal attorney before joining the administration, appears to have led efforts to revive the targeting of Trump’s political enemies.
He is widely considered a frontrunner to become the President’s official nominee for attorney general.
Comey led the FBI’s investigation into alleged Russian collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, before the President fired him the following year.
He remains one of Trump’s most vocal critics on network television.
Comey is not the only Trump adversary to face the wrath of the Justice Department in the last year.
Comey led the FBI’s investigation into alleged Russian collusion with the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, before the President fired him the following year
The Secret Service agents conducted an hours-long interview with Comey a day after he made the post
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on bank fraud charges last October but a federal judge dismissed the case.
James led the civil fraud against Trump that resulted in a $454 million judgment against him in February 2024. However, the New York state appeals later overturned the penalty.
The Daily Mail has contacted Comey for comment. His legal team has not issued a public statement on the indictment.
The indictment comes just days after alleged gunman Cole Tomas Allen stormed the Washington Correspondents’ Dinner in what prosecutors say was a plot to assassinate the President and his top cabinet members.
