James Comey Indicted Again Over Alleged Threat Against Donald Trump

Former FBI Director James Comey faced renewed scrutiny for a second time over an alleged threat against Donald Trump. On April 28, he was charged over a photo of seashells, which officials said they viewed as threatening the president. This marks the Trump administration’s second attempt to prosecute the former FBI director, whom Trump considers one of his biggest political critics.

According to court documents, the charges approved by a grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina include making a threat against Trump and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

The indictment stems from a photo Comey shared on social media in May 2025. He posted a picture of shells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “8647.” In the caption, he wrote, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

Republicans quickly noted that “86” can be used as slang to mean getting rid of something, while “47” could refer to Trump’s position as the 47th president of the United States.

MAGA supporters called it a direct threat against the president, with some going as far as describing it as a death threat. Following his Tuesday indictment, Comey shared a video on his Substack.

In the video, the former FBI director said, “I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go.” Todd Blanche, who is now leading the Department of Justice following Pam Bondi’s firing, moved quickly in pursuing Comey’s indictment.

On April 28, during a press conference, the acting attorney general said, “While this case is unique, and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate.”

Previously, Kristi Noem, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said that Comey’s post was a call “for the assassination” of Trump, noting that he would be investigated by the Secret Service.

However, experts believe prosecuting Comey could be difficult, as it would require concrete evidence that he “knowingly and willfully” made a threat to “take the life of” Donald Trump. The same day, amid the criticism, he removed the post, admitting that he knew the shells represented “a political message” but did not know that some associated the numbers with violence.

“It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” Comey wrote.

This is the Trump administration’s second attempt to prosecute him after the DOJ accused him of lying to Congress over leaks to the press last year. The case was later dismissed.