Comey indicted again on charges stemming from Instagram post

Washington — Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again, multiple sources familiar told CBS News, marking the second time he will face charges brought by President Trump’s Justice Department.

The specific charges are unknown but stem from an image he briefly shared to Instagram last year that showed seashells arranged in the sand to form the numbers “86 47,” the sources said. He was indicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina, a source told CBS News.

Comey was interviewed last May by Secret Service agents about the post. 

CNN first reported that Comey had been indicted again.

The image shared by Comey sparked outrage from Mr. Trump’s supporters, who interpreted “47” as referring to his status as the nation’s 47th president and “86” as meaning “eject” or “remove.” Comey deleted the photo and wrote in an Instagram post that he believed the shell formation was communicating a “political message.” 

“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” Comey wrote. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Mr. Trump has consistently voiced his anger at Comey since he fired him from his post at the FBI in 2017, during his first term. In a September post to Truth Social, the president told then-Attorney General Pam Bondi “we can’t delay any longer” and urged her to take action against Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat. 

Bondi was ousted as attorney general earlier this month and Todd Blanche, her deputy, was installed as acting attorney general.

Comey was first indicted by a federal grand jury in late September on charges he lied to Congress during testimony in September 2020 and obstructed a congressional proceeding. He pleaded not guilty.

The case was dismissed in November when a federal judge found that Lindsey Halligan, the top prosecutor in eastern Virginia who secured the indictment, had been unlawfully appointed to the job.

The Justice Department appealed that decision. Halligan left her post at the Justice Department in January.