Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Tuesday over an Instagram post about seashells that officials said threatened President Donald Trump, according to three sources cited by CNN. The move marks the administration’s second attempt to prosecute one of its largest political opponents.

Trump has long pushed for charges against his political adversaries, including Comey, whom he views as a central figure in what he describes as efforts to “weaponize” the justice system against him.

The controversy stems from a social media post in May 2025, when Comey shared an image of seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” Critics interpreted the message as a reference to removing or killing Trump. In slang, “86” can mean to get rid of or throw something out, while Trump is currently the 47th president.

Comey captioned the image, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

The now-deleted Instagram post quickly drew backlash from Republicans and administration officials, who claimed it amounted to a threat against Trump. Then–Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Comey would be investigated by the Secret Service over what she described as a call “for the assassination” of the president.

The United States Secret Service later questioned Comey in an hours-long interview in Washington, DC, which was an uncommon step for a non-specific threat. Comey told investigators he had spotted the shell formation on a beach in North Carolina.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also weighed in at the time, saying Comey should be “put behind bars” and expressing concern for Trump’s safety.

Comey removed the post the same day, stating he believed the shells conveyed “a political message” but “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” He added, “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

The latest case represents a renewed effort by Trump’s Justice Department to bring charges against Comey, who has been a vocal critic of the president since being fired in 2017 during the Russia-meddling investigation.

In September last year, the Justice Department previously charged Comey with lying to Congress over leaks to the press. However, that case was dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled that the interim US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia had been improperly appointed without Senate approval.

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