Former FBI director James Comey indicted for second time
TL;DR
Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for a second time by the US Department of Justice. The charges are related to an Instagram post featuring seashells that some claim was a threat against President Biden.
Key points
- James Comey indicted for a second time by the US Department of Justice
- Charges relate to an Instagram post featuring seashells and numbers
- Comey claims he did not know the meaning of the numbers
- First indictment was dismissed by a federal judge
Mentioned in this story
Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted for a second time and will face charges brought by the US Department of Justice, multiple sources told the BBC's US partner CBS News.
The specific charges are not known, but the sources said they 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 meant, but Trump and other administration officials have said the post was a threat against the 47th president. "Eighty-six" is a slang term used to mean "eject" or "remove."
The department first brought charges against Comey in September, accusing him of lying to Congress over press leaks.
A federal judge dismissed that case two months later, saying that the interim federal prosecutor who brought the charges was improperly appointed.
US Secret Service agents interviewed Comey last May about the seashell photo.
Comey deleted the Instagram post, saying in a follow-up that he "assumed [the sea shells] were a political message".
"I didn't realise some folks associate those numbers with violence," he added. "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
President Donald Trump, who has long criticised Comey, said of the post that "a child knows what that meant".
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 before the case was dismissed in November.
US District Judge Cameron Currie tossed the indictment against Comey because of prosecutor Lindsey Halligan's "invalid" appointment as US attorney.
Halligan, the prosecutor in eastern Virginia who secured the indictments, was not authorised to present the charges to the grand jury, the judge said.Halligan is a former White House aide who had never prosecuted a case before.
The judge, however, left the door open for the government to try again.
Comey acknowledged that possibility after the ruling, saying he believes Trump "will probably come after me again."
Q&A
What are the charges against James Comey in his second indictment?
The specific charges against James Comey are not known, but they relate to an Instagram post he shared that showed seashells forming the numbers '86 47'.
Why did James Comey face charges for an Instagram post?
Comey faced charges because the post was interpreted by some, including Trump, as a threat against the 47th president, with 'eighty-six' being slang for 'eject' or 'remove'.
What happened to the first indictment against James Comey?
The first indictment against Comey was dismissed by a federal judge due to concerns over the appointment of the interim federal prosecutor who brought the charges.
