Comey was able to leave the Alexandria courthouse after receiving the formal indictment. He avoided answering a question about whether he was guilty of a crime.
Former FBI director accused of threatening President Donald Trump with seashells
It was in May of last year that Trump critic Comey posted a photo on social media of shells on a beach forming the numbers “86 47.” He captioned the photo: “Cool shell formation on my boardwalk.”
Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States in 2024. The number 86 may refer to an old expression in the restaurant industry meaning that something is out of stock or is about to be discarded.
“Now we drive”
Comey, who deleted the post, has previously said that he “didn’t realize that some people associate these numbers with violence.” In a video clip, he now responds to the accusations again.
"I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid," he said, according to CNN.
"And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary - so here we go!"
Many within the Democratic Party, however, are more uncertain, with some calling the process politically motivated and blaming “a hateful president.”
"This is yet another case of the Justice Department acting as a weapon for a hateful president," Senator Dick Durbin said.
The party's members on the House Judiciary Committee asked on X whether Comey's post was criminal, and they quoted Trump's response last year when he called six Democratic congressmen's speech "seditious conduct that leads to the death penalty" after those members urged the US military to refuse to carry out clearly illegal orders.
Dismissed indictment
The charges against Comey were formalized by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, according to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
"Threatening the life of the President of the United States will never be tolerated," Blanche said at a press conference, according to the AP.
A lawsuit against Comey also began last year on charges of perjury. A federal judge dismissed that charge.
Trump fired Comey in 2017, in connection with an investigation into whether any member of Trump's election campaign had collaborated with Russia.
