Former FBI Director James Comey would surrender to US authorities on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation. a day after being charged for a social media post that prosecutors said posed a threat to President Donald Trump.
Comey was expected to arrive at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, Virginia, to turn himself in on two charges, including threatening the president’s life and transmitting threats across state lines. Comey has stated that he is innocent and that he will defend himself against the accusations in court.
The indictment marks a new push by Trump’s Justice Department to criminally pursue those it considers political enemies of the president. Last year, Trump referred to Comey by name in a social media post calling for criminal charges to be brought against his adversaries.
The charges relate to a post Comey made on Instagram last May showing seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47.”
The number “86” is a colloquial expression originating in the restaurant industry that can mean “get rid of” or kick someone out. Forty-seven could be a reference to Trump as the 47th president of the United States.
The indictment, approved by a federal grand jury in North Carolina, alleged that a reasonable recipient of the message would interpret it as a threat toward Trump.
Comey deleted the post shortly after it was published, claiming that he considered it a political message and that he was not aware that the numbers were associated with violence.
An adversary of Trump, Comey has now faced two criminal cases from the Justice Department during the second Trump administration. A previous case accusing him of lying to Congress was dismissed by a federal judge.
