Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for a second time by the Justice Department, this time over a social media post of seashells that the administration alleges was a coded threat against President Trump.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by the Justice Department on Tuesday for a social media post that administration officials claim constituted a threat against President Donald Trump. The indictment centers on a now-deleted Instagram photo of seashells spelling out the numbers “86 47.” While Comey maintained the image was a “cool shell formation” he found on a beach, critics and Republicans argued the numbers were coded slang for “removing” or “assassinating” the 47th president.
This marks the second attempt by the Trump Justice Department to prosecute Comey, a frequent critic of the president since his 2017 firing. A previous case accusing him of lying to Congress was dismissed last year due to the improper appointment of a federal prosecutor. The new effort is being led by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has reportedly accelerated several high-profile cases publicly advocated for by the President.
Legal experts have expressed skepticism regarding the viability of the case, citing the high bar for prosecuting speech under the First Amendment. Comey previously told Secret Service investigators that he did not realize the numbers were associated with violence and removed the post to avoid such a perception. The indictment comes amid a flurry of legal activity from the Justice Department, including a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and investigations into alleged conduct by FBI Director Kash Patel.