President Donald Trump has accused former FBI Director James Comey of making an assassination threat through a social media post that he claims uses mob slang to refer to killing. In a recent statement on social media, Trump stated that the phrase “86” is a term for “kill him,” and that the numbers “47” in the post signify “kill President Trump.” He described Comey as one of the worst “dirty cops.”
The Department of Justice filed a two-count indictment against Comey on Tuesday for his 2025 social media post, alleging it constituted a serious expression of intent to do harm to the president. The case was prosecuted in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Comey deleted the post shortly after making it, stating he did not realize the numbers were associated with violence and that he opposes violence of any kind.
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley has raised constitutional concerns about the indictment, noting that hyperbolic political speech is protected by the First Amendment. Turley stated that the case likely will not withstand constitutional scrutiny.
