Ex-FBI Director James Comey charged with threatening Trump’s life in ‘8647’ post
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The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment on the reported charges. The White House referred CNBC to the DOJ.
Trump had accused Comey of “calling for the assassination of the president” by sharing the image of the numbers in the May 15 post.
“Eighty-six” is a term often used in the restaurant industry when a menu item is discontinued. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says it can more broadly mean “to eject, dismiss, or remove (someone).”
Trump is the 47th U.S. president.
Comey at the time denied he was threatening Trump with the seashell post, writing in a follow-up, “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” He said he deleted it anyway because “I oppose violence of any kind.”
The Trump administration investigated Comey over the social media post, but no charges were immediately brought.
Around four months later, however, he was indicted in Virginia on one count each of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction.
Comey denied the charges, which were brought under Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer for Trump who was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
In November, a federal judge dismissed the criminal case against Comey after ruling that Halligan was unlawfully appointed.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/28/james-comey-indicted-trump-seashell-8647.html