Former FBI Director Comey Defends Courts in ‘86 47’ Case

Former FBI director James Comey said he has “complete faith” in the U.S. judicial system as he faces a federal case over a social media post prosecutors claim threatened the president.

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Speaking on Meet the Press on Sunday, Comey described the judiciary as the strongest remaining pillar of government amid ongoing political tensions.

“The judiciary is the genius of our founders,” he said. “It’s frankly the only leg of our three-legged stool that is still standing in the U.S. government, but it’s standing tall and straight. It is the guardian of the rule of law, and I believe in it.”

Indictment over Instagram post

Comey was indicted last month after prosecutors alleged a 2025 Instagram photo he posted showed seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47,” which they argued represented a threat against the president.

Officials in the administration of Donald Trump and the United States Department of Justice claim the number “86” can be used as slang meaning to kill someone.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the phrase was widely understood in criminal circles. “If anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86,” he said at the time, adding that it was a “mob term for kill him”.

However, restaurant workers interviewed by NBC News previously said the term is commonly used in the hospitality industry to mean an item is no longer available.

Prosecutors cite wider evidence

The acting U.S. attorney general, Todd Blanche, said earlier this month that the case is not based solely on the seashell image.

“This is not just about a single Instagram post,” Blanche said during an earlier appearance on Meet the Press. He said prosecutors had gathered evidence over roughly 11 months before presenting the case to a grand jury.

Blanche added that he could not publicly discuss further details about the evidence.

Comey declined to address the specifics of the allegations, saying he could not comment because the case is ongoing. He also said Blanche should avoid speaking publicly about it.

“He ought not to be talking about it,” Comey said. “I can’t talk about it.”

Political tensions and past cases

Since the indictment, Comey has said he will continue speaking publicly about the political climate and his criticism of Trump.

In an interview last week, he said the president has a “bottomless desire to gain revenge against those who criticized him” and vowed he would not remain silent.

Comey also argued that targeting political opponents conflicts with the Justice Department’s mission to uphold the law. He said the department should not pursue individuals simply because the president disagrees with them.

He cited other figures who have faced scrutiny from Trump and his allies, including Adam Schiff, Letitia James and Mark Kelly.

Separate indictments against Comey and James were dismissed last year after a judge ruled the prosecutor handling the cases had been improperly appointed. Cases involving Schiff and Kelly also failed to advance.

Comey said the earlier prosecution against him amounted to political retaliation.

“We made a motion to have it dismissed as a vindictive prosecution,” he said. “The president of the United States cannot use the Justice Department to target people because he wants to retaliate against them. We just can’t operate as a republic if that happens.”

Trust in the courts

Despite the legal battle, Comey said he remains confident the courts will handle the case fairly.

He reiterated that the judiciary remains the key safeguard for the rule of law in the United States as the case proceeds.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 18 May 2026