James Comey indicted over ‘8647’ post Trump called a threat

Former FBI Director James Comey was charged Tuesday with threatening President Donald Trump‘s life when he posted an image of seashells spelling out “8647” on his Instagram account last year, a federal indictment showed.

Comey, whom Trump has long viewed as a foe, faces one count each of threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, according to the indictment filed in North Carolina.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury and dated Tuesday, marks the second time that Comey has been federally indicted since Trump’s second presidential term began.

The charges came three days after Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after an alleged assassin ran toward the ballroom where the event was being held. The Trump administration and its allies have accused Democrats of inciting the attack by spreading incendiary rhetoric about Trump.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on the reported charges. The White House referred CNBC to the DOJ.

Trump had accused Comey of “calling for the assassination of the president” by sharing the image of the numbers in the May 15 post.

“Eighty-six” is a term often used in the restaurant industry when a menu item is discontinued. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says it can more broadly mean “to eject, dismiss, or remove (someone).”

Trump is the 47th U.S. president.

Comey at the time denied he was threatening Trump with the seashell post, writing in a follow-up, “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” He said he deleted it anyway because “I oppose violence of any kind.”

The Trump administration investigated Comey over the social media post, but no charges were immediately brought.

Around four months later, however, he was indicted in Virginia on one count each of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction.

Comey denied the charges, which were brought under Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer for Trump who was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

In November, a federal judge dismissed the criminal case against Comey after ruling that Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

Comey is one of many of Trump’s perceived enemies who have been indicted or federally investigated since the president returned to office in January 2025.

Trump in a September social media post openly urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., claiming “they’re all guilty as hell.”

James was indicted weeks later on charges of bank fraud and making false…