Is this the new ‘ham sandwich?’
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram photo he posted of seashells, which allies of President Donald Trump portrayed as a threat, two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News.
Justice Department attorneys sought the indictment in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Comey has a beach house. The Department of Homeland Security investigated Comey, who has long been a Trump target, over the May 2025 Instagram post, even subjecting him to questioning by the Secret Service.
Comey had deleted the post, saying it never occurred to him that it would be interpreted as being violent. “Eighty-six” is a term commonly used in restaurants when an item is sold out, and it’s also informally used to mean “cancel” or “get rid of.”