Former FBI Director James Comey Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison After Indictment [WATCH]

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges related to an alleged threat against President Donald Trump stemming from a social media post made in May 2025.

The indictment, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, includes one count of “knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States,” and a second count of “knowingly and willfully transmitting an interstate commerce communication that contained a threat to kill the president of the United States.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges during a news conference, stating, “threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.”

Comey, 65, is accused of posting an image on Instagram on May 15, 2025, showing seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47.”

Here’s What They’re Not Telling You About Your Retirement

The post was later deleted.

The number “86” is commonly used in the restaurant industry as slang for getting rid of something, including unruly patrons or menu items.

Authorities allege the post was interpreted as a threat directed at the 47th president.

WATCH:

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

Comey later addressed the post during an appearance with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, describing it as a “totally innocent” message and saying it was “crazy” that it was viewed as a call for violence.

Blanche referenced other cases involving threats against public officials during his announcement.

“There are multiple threats cases very similar to this one, including one where the defendant pled guilty recently to threatening former President Biden,” Blanche said.

“I say that to say that while this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute.”

WATCH:

Following the indictment, Comey issued a video statement on his Substack account.

“I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go,” he said.

WATCH:

The charges were first reported by CNN earlier Tuesday. One of Comey’s defense attorneys from a prior case involving alleged false statements to Congress declined to comment.

The indictment comes amid heightened security concerns following multiple assassination attempts targeting President Trump.

Most recently, a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.

Two earlier attempts occurred during Trump’s 2024 campaign, including incidents at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and at his golf course in Florida.

Comey has previously faced legal scrutiny. On Sept. 25, he was indicted on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice.

That case was dismissed two months later after a federal judge ruled that then-interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan had been improperly appointed and lacked authority to secure the indictment.

The earlier case centered on Comey’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020.

During questioning by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Comey denied authorizing leaks to the media related to the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as a separate investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

Cruz referenced Comey’s prior statements during the hearing.

“On May 3rd, 2017, in this committee, Chairman [Chuck] Grassley asked you point blank, ‘Have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?’ You responded under oath, ‘Never,’” Cruz said.

“He then asked you, ‘Have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?’ You responded again under oath, ‘No.’”

Cruz cited statements by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who said he had leaked information to The Wall Street Journal with Comey’s knowledge and authorization.

“Who’s telling the truth?” Cruz asked.

Comey responded, “I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.”

Court records and prior testimony indicate that Comey later acknowledged sharing information with Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law professor described as a “good friend.”

Comey testified in 2017 that he had asked Richman to share memos with the media concerning interactions with Trump related to the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

A Department of Justice inspector general report in 2018 also addressed disputes between Comey and McCabe over whether information had been shared with the media regarding the Clinton email investigation.

The report stated that “Comey and McCabe gave starkly conflicting accounts” of their discussions, with Comey denying McCabe’s version of events.

The earlier indictment against Comey was filed shortly before the five-year statute of limitations was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025.

In a separate video posted after the charges were unsealed in that case, Comey said, “My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way.”

The current indictment marks a new phase in the legal proceedings involving the former FBI director, with federal prosecutors pursuing charges tied to the 2025 social media post.

Warning: Account balances and purchasing power no longer tell the same story. Know in 2 minutes if your retirement is working for you.