Former FBI Director James Comey attributes his latest federal indictment to President Donald Trump’s unrelenting pursuit of vengeance. Charged in late April with threatening the president’s life, Comey points to an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged as ’86 47’—a phrase critics interpret as a call to eliminate Trump, the 47th president.
Comey’s First Response to New Charges
Speaking publicly for the first time since the indictment, Comey accuses Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of advancing Trump’s agenda. “I think it’s just Donald Trump continuing to move through people until he finds those who will literally do whatever he says,” Comey stated. “Maybe he’s found that with Mr. Blanche, maybe not.”
Comey predicts Blanche may fail to meet Trump’s demands unless he secures jail time. “Maybe his standards will be too high, as apparently Pam Bondi’s were,” he added, referencing Bondi’s recent dismissal and shift to a private sector role.
Undeterred, Comey vows to continue criticizing Trump. “I’m not going to stop criticizing him, because I think that’s required if you care about America,” he declared. “If he gets rid of Blanche, he’ll try to find someone else.”
Details of the Alleged Threat
The Department of Justice alleges Comey knowingly transmitted a threat via social media. Acting Attorney General Blanche emphasized at a press conference, “You cannot threaten to kill the President of the United States. Full stop.”
The post, captioned “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” appeared last May. Comey deleted it the same day, stating he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” Secret Service agents interviewed him shortly after.
“86” serves as slang for removal or disposal, sometimes implying killing, paired with Trump’s presidential number. A grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the arrest warrant.
In a Substack video, Comey affirmed his innocence: “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go.”
Family and Professional Fallout
Comey also condemns Trump’s firing of his daughter, Maurene, a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. “My daughter was a superstar prosecutor… and was fired only because she has my last name. That’s stupid, that’s immoral. That’s illegal, in my view,” he said, dismissing claims of mishandling the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs case.
Comey reflects on the surreal situation: “It’s crazy that I’m 65 years old, and I actually find it a little bit humorous to have this obsession by this 80-year-old man with me.”
Broader Context and Prior Indictments
This marks Comey’s second indictment over the post; the first, under previous leadership, was dismissed last year after a judge ruled the prosecutor unlawfully appointed. Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, revived the case following Bondi’s ouster.
Trump fired Comey in 2017 amid the FBI’s Russia collusion probe into his 2016 campaign. Comey remains a prominent critic. He urges remembrance of DOJ principles: “This is not who we are as a country, this is not how the Department of Justice is supposed to be.”
Similar scrutiny hit New York Attorney General Letitia James, indicted on bank fraud but later dismissed. The latest charges follow an alleged assassination plot at the Washington Correspondents’ Dinner targeting Trump and Cabinet members.
