Ex-FBI Director Comey Charged With Threatening Trump's Life

The US Justice Department has once again brought criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey, this time accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump's life. The indictment, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, centers on a social media post Comey made last May, which depicted seashells arranged to form the numbers "8647." Prosecutors allege this was a deliberate threat against the president, with "86" potentially meaning to eject someone and "47" referring to Trump as the 47th president.

This move by the Justice Department, now under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, signals a swift execution of President Trump's demands for criminal cases against his perceived enemies. Comey's predecessor, Pam Bondi, was reportedly ousted for moving too slowly on such matters. The indictment against Comey is part of a broader pattern under Trump's administration, which has also seen criminal charges brought against the Southern Poverty Law Center and an indictment of a former National Institutes of Health official.

“

I am still innocent and still unafraid.

Comey himself has responded to the charges, asserting his innocence and fearlessness in an online video. He maintains that the shell arrangement was not intended as a threat, stating he did not realize the numbers could be associated with violence and that he opposes all forms of violence. He had previously deleted the post after it garnered controversy. This case is separate from a previous indictment in September, where Comey was accused of lying during congressional testimony related to the FBI's investigation into alleged ties between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

“

I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down.