The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday obtained a second grand jury indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, long a target of President Donald Trump’s anger for overseeing an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
A grand jury indicted Comey related to a photo he posted on social media of seashells arranged to read “86 47.” The grand jury was located in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Comey was vacationing when he took the photo last year.
Trump supporters have interpreted the photo as a threat against the president, since “86” is a slang term for removing something and “47” could be seen as a reference to Trump as the 47th president. Comey has said the photo wasn’t intended as a call to violence and deleted the post.
A federal grand jury in Virginia previously indicted Comey in September, accusing him of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. The allegations relate to his testimony in 2020 about the FBI’s investigation into links between Russia and the Trump campaign. Comey has pleaded not guilty.
The new indictment marked another escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to prosecute Comey and other political enemies. Last week, the Justice Department obtained an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long angered conservatives.
The new prosecution also comes as Todd Blanche, a personal defense attorney for Trump, is serving as acting U.S. attorney general following the departure of Pam Bondi. Trump has not yet nominated a permanent replacement.
The Justice Department announced a news conference for Tuesday afternoon but didn’t disclose the topic.
