Former FBI Director Comey Indicted Over Controversial “86 47” Instagram Post – THISAGE

Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted again by the US Department of Justice over a controversial Instagram post showing seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47”,

The new criminal charges were filed Tuesday, after months of controversy over the now-deleted post Comey shared last year.

The image, which Comey captioned “Beautiful shell formation on my walk on the beach,” had sparked backlash from Trump allies and conservative commentators who argued the numbers carried violent connotations.

In American slang, “86” is sometimes used to mean “remove” or “get rid of,” while “47” has been widely interpreted as a reference to Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

Following criticism, Comey deleted the post and denied any violent intent.

“It never occurred to me, but I am against violence of any kind, so I deleted the post,” Comey said in a statement posted on Instagram at the time.

Federal law enforcement authorities subsequently opened an investigation into the post and reportedly interviewed the former FBI chief.

Tuesday’s indictment marks the second criminal case brought against Comey by the Justice Department in the past year. In 2025, prosecutors charged Comey with allegedly making false statements to Congress in connection with testimony related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

However, the case was later dismissed after a federal judge ruled that the prosecutor overseeing the matter had been improperly appointed.

Comey has remained one of Trump’s most prominent critics since his dismissal as FBI director in May 2017 amid investigations into alleged ties between Trump associates and Russia.

The renewed charges also come amid broader Justice Department investigations involving several former officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan and New York Attorney General Letitia James.