Arabic version: جيمس كومي يواجه اتهامات بشأن تهديد مزعوم لترامب
Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with threatening to kill US President Donald Trump, according to BBC News. The charges relate to an image Comey briefly shared on Instagram last year that showed seashells forming the numbers “86 47.” Comey has insisted he did not know what the numbers on the image meant, but Trump and other administration officials have said the post was a threat against the 47th president.
The term “eighty-six” is slang for “eject” or “remove,” further complicating Comey’s defense. The Justice Department had earlier brought charges against Comey in September, accusing him of lying to Congress over press leaks, but a federal judge dismissed that case two months later, saying that the interim federal prosecutor who brought the charges was improperly appointed.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized the seriousness of the charges, stating that the conduct alleged in this case is intolerable and warrants investigation and prosecution. Both felony counts against Comey carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Comey was interviewed by US Secret Service agents last May about the Instagram post, which he later deleted. He stated that he assumed the seashells conveyed a political message and did not realize that some people associated the numbers with violence. President Trump remarked that “a child knows what that meant” regarding the post.
Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury in late September on charges that he lied to Congress during testimony in September 2020 and obstructed a congressional proceeding. The indictment came days after Trump called on the country’s top law enforcement official to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries, including Comey. Comey pleaded not guilty during a brief court appearance in October before the case was dismissed in November due to procedural issues with the prosecutor’s appointment. The judge allowed the possibility for the government to refile charges, which Comey acknowledged, believing Trump would likely pursue further action against him. Comey was dismissed from his FBI role by Trump after overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
