Comey Indicted on 2 Felony Threat Counts Against Trump

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted former FBI Director James Comey last month on two felony counts of making threats against President Donald Trump, stemming from an Instagram post depicting seashells arranged in the numbers 86 47. The charges allege that Comey knowingly and willfully threatened to take the life of and inflict bodily harm upon the president, and transmitted such a threat in interstate commerce. Prosecutors assert that a reasonable observer familiar with the context would interpret the post as expressing intent to harm Trump, the nation's 47th president.

The post, captioned "Cool shell formation on my beach walk," originated from a May arrangement Comey encountered near his North Carolina beach house. Comey has denied any criminal intent, stating in his first post-indictment interview Monday on MS NOW with Nicolle Wallace that he and his wife discovered the shells during a walk and initially mistook them for an address before recognizing it as a political message. He deleted the post amid backlash.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated earlier this month that the case relies on a body of evidence beyond the Instagram...