Trump Justice Department indicts former FBI chief James Comey again

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Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is renewing efforts to punish James Comey, CNN reported on Tuesday.

The charges against Comey were unclear, but the matter stems from a photo he posted to social media of sea shells arranged on a North Carolina beach to read, “86 47,” the first numbers indicating a slang term for getting rid of someone or something and the second presumed to a reference to Trump, who became the 47th president of the United States in his second term.

Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service in May after Trump officials claimed he was, through the posting, pushing for the assassination of Trump. Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, writing: “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence” and “I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Having emerged as a critic of the president’s in the time since leaving the FBI, Comey first earned Trump’s emnity in 2016 and 2017 when his agency began an investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russian officials. Trump has harbored anger against Comey for years, and since taking office in 2025 has directed the Department of Justice to begin a campaign of criminal prosecutions against Comey and others who have challenged him in similar ways, like New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Attorney General Pam Bondi headed up that effort at the agency before her firing earlier this month. Tuesday’s news is apparent confirmation that her replacement, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, will continue in that vein.

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for a second time on Tuesday (Getty Images)

Last year, attorneys for the DoJ working out of the Eastern District of Virginia brought charges against Comey for allegedly lying to Congress pertaining to whether he authorized leaks to the press about the investigation into Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign for president and Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of State. He denied the charges, which never went to trial. Comey denied those accusations at the time, and declined to comment to CNN on Tuesday regarding the new charges.

A judge tossed the case against him instead last fall, ruling that former White House staffer Lindsey Halligan was illegally appointed to her role overseeing the Eastern District, making her actions as a prosecutor unlawful.

This is a breaking news report. More to follow.