Prosecutors cite James Comey's novel in seashell threat case

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina have incorporated former FBI director James Comey's recently published novel, FDR Drive, into their argument that a May 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to read “8647” was a coded threat against President Donald Trump. The filing describes the novel’s plot, in which a prosecutor pursues a far-right media personality and encourages followers to eliminate political rivals, as analogous to Comey's alleged intent.

The government contends that the post, captioned “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” was posted shortly after Comey’s wife sent him a screenshot defining the slang term “86” as “to get rid of,” and that the timing suggests awareness of the phrase’s possible violent connotation. Prosecutors cite a slang dictionary that includes “kill” as a meaning for “86” and argue that the surrounding context makes the message a “true threat.”

"On May 15, 2025, a charismatic leader named James Comey, through the wonder of the internet, posted a coded message to his followers meaning ‘kill’ or ‘get rid of’ (a euphemism for ‘kill’) President Trump," the filing states.

Comey has been indicted on two felony counts for allegedly threatening the president’s life and has pleaded not guilty. He said he deleted the post after being advised that “86” could be interpreted as “kill.” The filing also notes that Comey and his publishing agent discussed the post’s impact on book sales, with the agent commenting that the incident could make the book go viral.

Prosecutors reject Comey's claim that the case is retaliatory, emphasizing that the decision to bring charges was made by U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle without pressure from senior officials. Boyle affirmed in an affidavit that he acted independently and that the acting attorney general was unaware of the prosecution until the day before it was presented to a grand jury.

The filing further argues that even if the president had directed the prosecution, such involvement would be constitutionally permissible, describing executive direction of department officials as a normal feature of the separation of powers.