Former FBI Director James Comey, whom US President Donald Trump has accused of being a key figure in an alleged attempt to 'use' the legal system against him, has been charged with posting threats against the US leader.
This is according to documents published in the electronic database of the federal court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
„On or about May 15, 2025, the defendant James Brian Comey Jr. knowingly and intentionally made a threat to kill and injure the President of the United States by posting a photo of projectiles arranged in the numbers „86 47“ on the social media platform Instagram, se the document says.
It claims that a “reasonable and knowledgeable“ user of the social media platform “would interpret this as a serious intent to harm the President of the United States“.
The slang expression “to 86“ can be translated as a call to refuse someone a favor or to “get rid of“ someone, and can also mean a call to murder. The 47 in this case may refer to Trump, who is the 47th President of the United States.
In September 2025, the Justice Department charged Comey with lying to Congress about leaks to the press, but the case was dismissed by a federal judge due to improper appointment of the acting attorney.