Federal prosecutors have accused former FBI Director James Comey of issuing a threat against President Donald Trump through a May 2025 Instagram post, according to newly released details in charging documents tied to his latest indictment.

According to the filing, authorities contend that Comey acted “knowingly and willfully” when he shared an image showing seashells arranged to display the numbers “86 47,” which prosecutors argue would be understood by a reasonable observer as a serious threat of harm.

“On or about May 15, 2025, in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the defendant, JAMES BRIEN COMEY JR, did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States, in that he publicly posted a photograph on the internet social media site Instagram which depicted seashells arranged in a pattern making out ‘86 47,’ which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States,” count one reads.

The indictment, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, alleges that the post constituted a direct threat against the president, violating federal laws that prohibit threats targeting the president of the United States.

A separate charge alleges that Comey transmitted a threatening message across state lines, again pointing to the Instagram post and its alleged meaning as directed toward Trump, the 47th president.

Comey had previously described the image as a “cool shell formation” he encountered during a walk on the beach, but prosecutors argue that the surrounding context and phrasing give the post a commonly understood meaning that rises to the level of a criminal threat under federal law.

{Matzav.com}