Comey Indicted Over '8647' Seashell Instagram Post

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Tuesday charging former FBI director James Comey with two counts of threatening President Donald Trump over a 2025 Instagram image showing seashells forming "86 47".

The charges stem from the '86 47' seashell picture and followed an investigation that included Secret Service agents interviewing Comey last May, according to court documents and agency statements.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said threatening the president "will never be tolerated," FBI Director Kash Patel accused Comey of encouraging a threat, and Comey said, "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary."

The indictment was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Petracca, was assigned to Judge Louise Wood Flanagan, included an arrest warrant, and lists two counts carrying maximum 10-year penalties each.

Comey's attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said they will contest the charges in court, the Justice Department said Comey will receive due process, and the case follows an earlier federal indictment that Judge Cameron Currie dismissed for an unlawful prosecutor appointment.