A federal grand jury in North Carolina indicted former FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday on two federal counts related to alleged threats against the President of the United States, Donald Trump—a crime that carries a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison.

The Department of Justice indicated during a press conference that the grand jury found Comey knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States, as well as the transmission of an interstate communication with threatening content.

For his part, Prosecutor Ellis Boyle stated that Comey will receive all the guarantees of due process and will be tried by a jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina, emphasizing that investigations into threats against the President are handled with the same rigor regardless of the position or person involved.

The new accusation against Comey stems from a post made on his Instagram account last year, where he shared a photograph showing seashells arranged to form the phrase "8647," with the caption: Curious shell formation during my beach walk.

Trump supporters interpreted the post as a political message directed at the Republican, who is the 47th President; combining the colloquial term "86"—which can mean to "eliminate" or "get rid of" someone according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary—with the number 47.

In September 2025, Comey was previously indicted on alleged charges of making false statements to Congress and obstruction of a legislative proceeding regarding the investigation he led into supposed links between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

Last November, a federal court dismissed the case against the former FBI director, along with that of New York Attorney General Letitia James, after concluding that the federal prosecutor selected by the President to lead the processes was illegally appointed.

Comey, who has become a staunch critic of the U.S. leader, had already warned that it was highly likely he would face another prosecution attempt. Donald Trump will probably come for me again, he stated in a video posted on his Instagram.

James Comey, a Republican originally appointed by former President Barack Obama (2009–2013), was fired by Trump shortly after he first took office in 2017. His dismissal was highly controversial as Comey was at that time leading the investigation into the "Russian plot" in the 2016 elections.