Former FBI Director James Comey issued a defiant statement in response to his federal indictment Tuesday for allegedly threatening to kill President Trump.
In a video statement published on his Substack, Comey said after an earlier indictment had been thrown out on procedural grounds that Trump’s Department of Justice was “back: This time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago.”
“And this won’t be the end of it. But nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent. I’m still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go,” he added.
“But it’s really important that all of us remember: This is not who we are as a country; this is not how the Department of Justice is supposed to be; and the good news is we get closer every day to restoring those values. Keep the faith.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the latest charges against Comey – which are related to a May 15, 2025, Instagram post of an image of seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47” – during a news conference earlier Tuesday,
“Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice,” Blanche said.
The indictment, handed up in the Eastern District of North Carolina, lists one count for “knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States.”
Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, echoed the former FBI director in a statement vowing to fight the charges.
“Mr. Comey vigorously denies the charges contained in the indictment filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina,” Fitzgerald said.
“We will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr. Comey and the First Amendment,” he added.
Fitzgerald defended Comey when he was initially indicted last September, on charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice.
The case was thrown out by a federal judge on the grounds that then-interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan was improperly appointed to her position and “had no lawful authority” to secure the indictment.
Comey also took to Substack shortly after the charges were unsealed in last year’s indictment, saying, “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.”
