Overview
- A North Carolina grand jury returned a two‑count federal indictment Tuesday, and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges.
- Comey appeared for a hearing Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia, did not plead guilty, and said he will fight the case.
- Prosecutors charge willfully threatening to kill or injure the president and transmitting an interstate threat, with each count carrying up to ten years in prison.
- The case centers on a deleted Instagram photo showing shells arranged as “86 47,” a phrase critics read as “remove the 47th president,” while Comey says he opposed violence and did not intend a threat.
- Democrats call the prosecution retaliation after a prior case was tossed over an improper prosecutor appointment, and DHS and the Secret Service had already reviewed the post as a security concern.