WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey appeared in a Virginia court on Wednesday and denied accusations against him of allegedly threatening US President Donald Trump through a post on his Instagram account last year.
The former FBI director denied that the photo he posted of seashells forming the phrase “86 47” was “intended to threaten the president” and vowed to fight the case.
Comey, 65, was indicted on two counts related to the photo posted on Instagram in May 2025, which he later deleted, and which showed the numbers “86 47” formed from seashells.
Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News at the time that “86” was slang for “kill” and that “47” referred to him as the 47th president of the United States.
Comey released
During the hearing in front of Judge William Fitzpatrick, it was agreed that Comey would remain free on his own recognizance until a hearing in which he would plead guilty or not guilty before a federal judge.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department charged Comey with threatening the president’s life and transmitting threats on social media.
Trump attacked Comey again today in the Oval Office in front of the press by referring to him as “a corrupt cop.”
This is the second case in which the Department of Justice accuses Comey, during the Republican’s second term, and the first accusation for an alleged false statement before Congress that was dismissed at the end of 2025.
Comey, who has become a staunch enemy of the US president, had already warned that it was very likely that he would try to prosecute him again. “Donald Trump will probably come for me again,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram.
The Russian plot
James Comey, a Republican who had been appointed in 2013 by former President Barack Obama (2009-2017), was fired by Trump after coming to power for the first time in 2017.
His dismissal was very controversial because at that time Comey was leading the investigation into the so-called “Russian plot” in the elections won by Trump in 2016, to delegitimize his Republican victory, a conspiracy whose investigations have revealed that Trump’s alleged links did not exist.
The allegations involve several officials of the Administration of Democrat Barack Hussein Obama that they would have made false statements stating that Russia attempted to interfere through cyber means in the result of the 2016 elections.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbardconducted an investigation against senior officials of the Obama Administration for this alleged conspiracy against Trump.
Gabbard called for investigating Obama and several intelligence officials. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice would create a team to evaluate the evidence provided by the leader of National Intelligencecoming from declassified documents.
