Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with threatening the life of US President Donald Trump, according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Comey, a frequent critic of Trump, also faces a charge of making an interstate threat to kill the president, Blanche told reporters on Tuesday. The case stems from an Instagram post last year in which Comey shared an image of seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” The term “86” is slang commonly used in American English, meaning ‘to eject’, ‘remove’, or ‘get rid of’.
Comey has denied any intent behind the post, saying he was unaware of any violent interpretation. However, Trump and several administration officials claimed the post was a veiled threat against the 47th president. The Justice Department had previously brought separate charges against Comey in September, accusing him of lying to Congress regarding press leaks. That case was later dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled the interim prosecutor was improperly appointed.
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"While this case is unique, and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute," acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday. Both felony charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. US Secret Service agents had earlier interviewed Comey in connection with the seashell image. Comey later deleted the post and clarified his intent, saying he believed it was a political message. "I didn't realise some folks associate those numbers with violence," he said. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down.” Trump, who has long criticized Comey, responded by saying of the post that "a child knows what that meant."
What does 8647 mean? James Comey indicted over seashells Instagram post
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The term ‘86’ is commonly used in American slang, especially in the restaurant industry, where it means to remove or stop serving an item. According to Merriam-Webster, it has also come to mean ‘to eject, dismiss, or remove (someone)’. In the context of the post, critics, led by Donald Trump, argued that pairing ‘86’ with ‘47’ (referring to Trump’s presidential number) could be interpreted as a veiled call for violence.
James Comey reacts
Comey replied to the indictment in a video posted to his Substack account. “I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid,” Comey was quoted as saying in the clip. “And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go.”
