The U.S. Justice Department has cited a legal thriller written by former FBI Director James Comey as evidence that he understood his controversial “86 47” social media post could be interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors argued in court filings that Comey’s novel, FDR Drive, contains parallels to his May 2025 Instagram post, which showed seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” The phrase combines “86,” a slang term meaning to remove or get rid of someone, with Trump’s status as the 47th U.S. president.
According to prosecutors, Comey’s book features a right wing podcaster who uses coded messages to encourage followers to target political opponents. They argue this demonstrates Comey understood how indirect language could be interpreted as calls for violence.
The Justice Department made the argument while opposing Comey’s effort to have the criminal case dismissed. Comey is charged with threatening the president and transmitting a threatening communication.
Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017, denies wrongdoing and argues that the prosecution is politically motivated retaliation for his criticism of the president. His lawyers maintain that the Instagram post did not constitute a legally actionable threat.
Comey has said he encountered the shell formation during a walk on a North Carolina beach and viewed it as a political statement. He deleted the post after it sparked controversy, saying he was unaware that “86” could be interpreted in a violent context.
Prosecutors have also pointed to messages suggesting the controversy surrounding the post generated publicity for FDR Drive, which was published shortly afterward. Comey has written several legal thrillers.
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