Acting Attorney General Todd Blance announced to Americans that the Department of Justice would indict former FBI Director James Comey for threatening the President’s life in April. 28. The charges came from a post from James Comey on social media, depicting sea shells in an 86 47 shape in May 2025. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, viewed the post as a threat to the President and suggested the Federal Government would investigate the post. Director Comey surrendered to the authorities in April. 29, and is awaiting the court suit. But was it a threat or was it a mere suggestion to remove the President from office? 

Dictionaries like Merriam-Webster define the informal term “86” as to get rid or throw out. The term originated in the 1930s when an item was sold out in soda-counters. Comey supporters argue that the definition broadly suggests that Comey was suggesting Trump be removed from office without any form of violence against the President. However, supporters of the Trump administration argue that the term broadly suggests killing someone, as the term has been used to describe the act of killing. 

After Comey’s arrest, the case is set to be fought in Court, James Comey has prepared his lawyers, and the Trump administration has set theirs to duke it out. Overall, the case of James Comey is a precedent-setting act by an administration in prosecuting a former Federal Director, and the outcome will likely motivate future administrations.