Arrest warrant issued for James Comey after he is indicted for Instagram post allegedly threatening Trump

A warrant for the arrest of former FBI Director James Comey was issued April 28 after a federal grand jury indicted him on two criminal counts alleging that a post on his Instagram from May 2025 constituted a threat against the life of President Donald Trump.

The indictment, filed April 28 in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Comey has his beach house, charges him with making a threat against the President and transmitting a threat in an interstate commerce of communication via social media. 

Comey’s Instagram post depicted seashells arranged to spell "86 47.” The number "47" is an apparent reference to Trump, serving as the 47th president. "86" is a slang term meaning to get rid of, remove, or, in some usages, kill. 

He captioned the post, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” 

The indictment alleges that a "reasonable recipient" familiar with the circumstances would interpret the image as "a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.” 

Comey deleted the post after it drew backlash and issued a statement on his Instagram, saying he “didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”

“I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he wrote. 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed in an April 28 press conference that a court clerk issued an arrest warrant for Comey following the indictment.