Prosecutors Allege James Comey ‘Knowingly’ Threatened Trump With ‘8647’ Post

MARY CHASTAIN APR 28, 2026 2:03 PM

*UPDATE 5:19 PM* We have the indictment! A grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina has issued an arrest warrant for former FBI Director James Comey.

The indictment lists two charges related to the “8647” Instagram post:

• Title 18, United States Code, Section 871(a) – Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnapped person: knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States, in that he publicly posted a photograph on the internet social media site Instagram which depicted seashells arranged in a pattern making out “86 47”, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.
• Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c) – Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another: knowingly and willfully did transmit in interstate and foreign commerce a communication that contained a threat to kill the President, Donald J. Trump, specifically, by publicly posting a photograph on the internet social media site Instagram which depicted seashells arranged in a pattern making out “86 47”, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to President Trump.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did not divulge any information regarding evidence when asked how prosecutors will prove intent. He said the DOJ brought charges after an extensive investigation.

***Previous reporting….

The DOJ indicted former FBI Director James Comey for the second time, according to CNN, citing “two sources familiar” with the situation.

Fox News’s David Spunt reported that the indictment revolves around his “8647” Instagram post.

The New York Times also wrote that Comey has been indicted over the Instagram post.

CNN did not cite much information about the indictment.

The DOJ first indicted Comey in September for allegedly making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

But then, in November, U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie disqualified interim Lindsey Halligan of the Eastern District of Virginia.

The disqualification led Currie to dismiss criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Let’s get into the 8647 Instagram post. Elizabeth wrote about the picture last May:

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “86” means to “eject or bar (someone) from a restaurant, bar, etc.” or to “reject, discard, or cancel.” The entry further notes that, as a noun, it is used in the service industry to indicate a menu item is unavailable or that a customer is not to be served.The Urban Dictionary includes those definitions but adds a darker connotation: “It can also refer to ‘killing’ or ‘executing judicially,’ sometimes with a connection to grave dimensions.” Surely, Comey was aware of this interpretation when he crafted his ill-considered post.

Elizabeth argued the fury over the post was way overblown considering the immense damage Comey inflicted on the FBI and DOJ. I completely agreed with her then and I still do.

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