Former FBI chief James Comey has been charged over an Instagram post of seashells folded into four numbers on the beach.
04/29/2026, 07:4204/29/2026, 07:42
He is accused of knowingly spreading a death threat against President Donald Trump.
In May 2025, Comey uploaded a picture of seashells to Instagram that formed the numbers “86 47”. Trump, the 47th President of the USA, and his supporters interpreted this as a call for an assassination attempt. Comey denied that it was a call for violence.
Comey posted this shell formation on Instagram.Image: screenshot x
It is the second time that Trump’s Justice Department has moved forward with a lawsuit against Comey. After the new indictment, Comey appeared combative. “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid,” he said in a short video message on the Substack platform. He also continues to believe in the independence of the court system. “Well, let’s go then,” he added. Legal experts interviewed by television channels such as CNN and MSNOW said they were convinced that the charges would not stand up in court.
Trump is said to have threatened to die via mussels: Former FBI chief James Comey.Image: keystone
Up to ten years in prison
If convicted, the former FBI director could face up to ten years in prison, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference. When asked, he did not provide any information about how prosecutors plan to prove that Comey had malicious intentions – or why the investigation lasted almost a year.
Blanche was once a prosecutor in New York and later a personal lawyer for Trump. After his re-election, he became Deputy Minister of Justice. Blanche most recently took over the office on an acting basis after his predecessor Pam Bondi was fired by Trump. According to some US media reports, Trump was frustrated by the slow pace of proceedings against political opponents such as Comey.
Todd Blanche is the new US Attorney General.Image: keystone
Comey denied threats of violence
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “86” is an outdated term that means, among other things, “reject” or “remove.” In restaurants, for example, it is a code for cases in which a product is sold out. According to the indictment, the number in combination with “47” represents a serious intention to harm Trump.
Comey deleted the post after criticism and later wrote on Instagram that he only saw a political message in the shell formation. He rejected the idea that he wanted to call for violence against Trump. “I was not aware that some people associate these numbers with violence,” he wrote.
In the trial, prosecutors will face the challenge of proving that Comey had clear intent to threaten Trump. According to previous information from the former FBI director, he discovered the numbers made from shells while walking on the beach.
Second attempt against Comey
In November, a federal court dismissed an indictment against President Trump’s critic with other allegations. The court justified this in its decision by saying that the prosecutor handling the case should not have been appointed by the US Department of Justice. She was appointed to the post on an interim basis after the previous incumbent, according to media reports, concluded that the evidence presented against Comey was not sufficient to prosecute.
Trump fired Comey in his first term in connection with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election. At the time, the FBI was investigating possible connections between Moscow and members of Trump’s campaign team. Trump insists there was no basis for the investigation and that it was driven by his political opponents.
Similar cases without consequences
Political observers in the USA also pointed to other cases in which similar numerical messages had no consequences. In January 2022, the right-wing political activist Jack Posobiec published a post on the then short message service Twitter that only consisted of the number combination “86 46”. Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, was the 46th President of the United States. The Democratic Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, attracted criticism during the 2020 presidential election campaign because the numbers “86 45” were seen in a television interview in her office. When asked about this, Blanche said every case is different. (sda/dpa)