US Justice Department says Comey novel shows he knew '86 47' post threatened Trump
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The U.S. Justice Department cited a legal thriller by James Comey as evidence the former FBI director knew his May 2025 Instagram post featuring the numbers '86 47' would be interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump. Prosecutors urged a judge to reject Comey's bid to dismiss the case as vindictive prosecution and a violation of free speech. Comey, who deleted the post after controversy, has denied wrongdoing and said he did not know the numbers could be associated with violence.
Key Facts
- The U.S. Justice Department cited Comey's novel 'FDR Drive' as evidence he knew his May 2025 Instagram post featuring the numbers '86 47' would be interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.
- Comey's post combined the slang term '86,' meaning to remove or expel, with a reference to Trump as the 47th U.S. president.
- Prosecutors asked a judge to reject Comey's attempts to have the case dismissed as vindictive prosecution and a violation of his free-speech rights.
- Comey said he saw the shell formation while walking on a North Carolina beach with his wife and read it as a clever political statement.
- Prosecutors cited a text Comey reportedly sent to his agent saying attention from the incident was 'not my intention, but I'll be OK if it sells books.'
The Justice Department Filing
The U.S. Justice Department cited Comey's legal thriller 'FDR Drive' in court filings published late Tuesday as evidence he knew his Instagram post would be read as a threat. Prosecutors said the novel depicts a right-wing podcaster using coded language to encourage followers to target political opponents, paralleling Comey's 15-month-old post. The filing urged a judge to reject Comey's attempts to have the case thrown out as vindictive prosecution and a violation of free-speech rights. Trump's Justice Department made the claim as Comey contests charges of threatening the U.S. president and transmitting a threatening communication.
The Instagram Post
Comey's May 2025 Instagram post combined the slang term '86,' meaning to remove or expel, with a reference to Trump as the 47th U.S. president. The phrase has been used by others as an anti-Trump protest slogan, and Comey deleted the post after it generated controversy. Comey said he saw the shell formation while walking on a North Carolina beach with his wife and interpreted it as a clever political statement. He said he did not know the numbers could be associated with violence.
Comey's Defense
Comey, fired by Trump as FBI director in 2017, has denied wrongdoing and argued the case was brought as retribution for his criticism of Trump. His lawyers have argued the post did not meet the legal threshold of a threat of violence. Defense lawyers produced evidence that the FBI tried unsuccessfully to show Comey was aware of a violent interpretation of '86' from his work prosecuting mob figures in New York. Federal prosecutors also referenced a text Comey reportedly sent his agent saying attention from the incident was 'not my intention, but I'll be OK if it sells books.'
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US Justice Department says Comey novel shows he knew '86 47' post threatened Trump
