The US Department of Justice has indicted former FBI director James Comey for allegedly making a threat against President Donald Trump via Instagram. A now-deleted image of a seashell formation depicting '8647' is causing waves in legal circles.

According to the DOJ, the photo could be interpreted as a ‘serious expression of an intent to do harm’ due to the slang meaning of 'eighty-six', implying to get rid of or throw out. Trump being the 47th president completes the alleged ominous message. Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed that Comey knowingly made a threat against the President, charging him with threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

Comey initially claimed he had no idea his post could be misconstrued as violent, stating on May 15th: 'I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.' He quickly removed the post after realizing its potential implications.

Comey has faced legal troubles before, being previously indicted in September 2025 for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. However, that case was later dismissed by a judge. This new indictment raises questions about the boundaries of free speech and the potential consequences of seemingly benign social media posts.