Former FBI Director Comey Indicted Again — This Time for ‘8647’ Seashell Post

A former FBI director, James Comey, was indicted Tuesday by the Justice Department in connection with a 2025 social media post that depicted “8647” spelled out in seashells on a beach. His detractors interpreted the post as a call to “assassinate” President Trump.The exact charges in the latest indictment, first reported by CNN, were not immediately clear. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Sun. The indictment marks the latest attempt by Mr. Trump’s Justice Department to indict Mr. Comey, his longtime political foil, within the past year. In September, a former interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, secured a two-count indictment against Mr. Comey for making a false statement and obstruction related to Senate Judiciary Committee testimony. In that testimony, Mr. Comey had denied authorizing an FBI employee to “be an anonymous source in news reports” regarding the bureau’s investigations into both Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But that indictment, filed days before the five-year statute of limitations expired, was dismissed in November without prejudice after a federal judge ruled that Ms. Halligan had been illegally appointed by the then-attorney general, Pam Bondi. Ms. Halligan stepped down from the Justice Department in January. Mr. Trump removed Ms. Bondi from her role and appointed his former attorney, Todd Blanche, as her interim successor.The latest indictment of Mr. Comey stems from a photo posted on his social media accounts last May depicting several seashells that spelled out “8647” on a beach. “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Mr. Comey wrote in his caption. The director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, said Mr. Comey “should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.” A former homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, accused Mr. Comey of calling for the “assassination” of Mr. Trump.The shell formation, which Mr. Comey claims he “saw” on his beach, is widely understood as a reference to “86-ing” Mr. Trump, the 47th president. The term “86” has several connotations, ranging from refusing service to a drunk customer to slang for killing someone — the standard depth of a grave in the United States is 86 inches. “In the days before a safety fence was installed on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, people would commit suicide by jumping from it. The deck was on the 86th floor,” George Mahe wrote years ago in St. Louis Magazine.Mr. Comey pleaded ignorance of the violent connotations of “86,” claiming he believed it was “a reference to restaurants” and interpreted it as a “clever political message.”A retired FBI agent expressed disbelief that Mr. Comey, once the most powerful law enforcement official in the country, would play dumb over the meaning of “86.”“James Comey is the worst kind of narcissist and continues to bring shame and discredit upon the FBI he once proclaimed to revere,” a retired FBI agent, James A. Gagliano, told the Sun.“To pretend not to know what ‘86’ means in street slang, and then cop out in his apologia by claiming he thought it was ‘political’ — but not a call for violence — turns my stomach,” Mr. Gagliano added.This is a developing story.

Former FBI Director Comey Indicted Again — This Time for ‘8647’ Seashell Post

Former FBI Director Comey Indicted Again — This Time for ‘8647’ Seashell Post

More from the New York Sun

Will Wealth Reaching a Record High, and Poverty a Record Low, Silence the Song of Socialism?

Taiwan’s Exclusion From United Nations Threatens Peace in the Pacific

America’s Marriage Deficit Risks Economic Catastrophe

As Heads of State Convene in New York, Mamdani Lacks Security Clearance

Non, Merci: Pope Leo, in Rebuke to French President, Rebuffs Macron’s Offer for Tour of Notre Dame

The Fed: Searching for Credibility

Prosperity Is as American as Apple Pie

NHL’s Lead Scorer Faces Backlash After Appearing in Pro-Putin Ad

More from the New York Sun

Will Wealth Reaching a Record High, and Poverty a Record Low, Silence the Song of Socialism?

Taiwan’s Exclusion From United Nations Threatens Peace in the Pacific

America’s Marriage Deficit Risks Economic Catastrophe

As Heads of State Convene in New York, Mamdani Lacks Security Clearance

Non, Merci: Pope Leo, in Rebuke to French President, Rebuffs Macron’s Offer for Tour of Notre Dame

The Fed: Searching for Credibility

Prosperity Is as American as Apple Pie

NHL’s Lead Scorer Faces Backlash After Appearing in Pro-Putin Ad