The DOJ Alleges That The Photo Was a “Serious Expression Of An Intent To Do Harm” To President Trump
On May 15, 2025, former FBI Dir. James Comey posted a photo to Instagram that may have seemed innocuous, but could also have been much more.
The photo, which Comey captioned with “cool shell formation on my beach walk,” shows a series of seashells in the shape of the numbers “86” and “47.”
In crime-related spheres, the number 86 has often been used to communicate that someone needs to be eliminated, with the number originating in restaurants as code for there being “no more” of an item on a menu.
The number 47 is often associated with President Donald Trump, who is the 45th and 47th president.
While Comey deleted his post shortly after he shared it, the Department of Justice indicted him nearly a year later, on April 28.
The indictment comes just a matter of days after a gunman tried to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on April 25.
This is the third major attempt on President Trump’s life since the 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Today, April 29, Comey surrendered himself to federal authorities at a court in Virginia.
The indictment levels two counts against him, with the first being Threatening the President, with the indictment “alleging that James Comey, 65, knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States,” the DOJ summarized.
The second count, Transmitting a Threat in Interstate Commerce, alleges that he “consciously disregarded a substantial risk that his communication would be viewed as threatening violence, and that he knowingly transmitted a communication … that contained a threat to injure the person of another.”
Speaking on the indictment, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws. The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials.”
FBI Dir. Kash Patel stated, “As the former Director of the FBI, he knew full well the attention and consequences of making such a post.”
If convicted, Comey will face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Read the full indictment, here.
Trump Responds To Comey’s Arrest
Responding to a question in the Oval Office on April 29 regarding the indictment against Comey, President Donald Trump said, “Well if anybody knows anything about crime, they know ’86’ … that’s a mob term for ‘kill him,’ you know?”
Asked if he thought he was in real danger from the seashell photo, Trump replied, “Probably, I don’t know … Based on what I’m seeing out there, yeah. People like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others.”
Trump added, “Comey is a dirty cop. He’s a very dirty cop. He cheated on the elections, he tried to help Hillary Clinton, as you know.”
Around the time of his seashell post, Comey said he was unaware of the violent connotation of “86,” PBS notes.
Watch President Trump respond on April 29 to the indictment of Comey regarding the seashell photo from last year, here:
