Even James Comey’s own family isn’t buying the spin. Well, one relative at least.
Court records released in his ongoing federal case over the “86 47” Instagram post show that one relative went nuclear, mentioning the connotations involved in his message and suggesting the former FBI Director belongs in prison.
In a text message sent to Comey’s wife, Patrice, the family member called the seashell photo a clear “call for violence.”
The message accused the couple of having gone “off the deep end” with Trump Derangement Syndrome. It got more personal from there.
"'86 47' is a call for violence no matter how you spin it. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I am thoroughly embarrassed to have ever defended the absolute coward that is your husband. You and Jim are some of the least accepting, most hypocritical people I've had the displeasure of knowing," the individual said. "I hope Jim goes to jail for his crimes."
An image of the actual exhibit follows:
Comey, as reported extensively here at RedState, was indicted on two felony counts for a May 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47."
The charges are: Knowingly and willfully making a threat against the President, and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Essentially, taking a picture of the seashell arrangement and then sharing it on social media for his followers to interpret as they please.
A copy of the pleading appears below.
In the section analyzing why Comey should have known he was posting a call for violence, it is revealed that two concerned citizens from Emerald Isle, one of whom was a member of the police department, contacted the Police Chief to report the threat.
It is revealed that Comey deleted the post "later that day" because of the relative's text, though it does not explain how much time passed between receiving the message and deciding to remove the image.
"I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message," he would later explain. "I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
At the very least, he and his wife were curious enough to try and find out what the "86 47" message might mean.
Two minutes before he posted the seashell message, Comey's wife sent a screenshot to her husband, according to the court documents, "including what appeared to have been a cropped definition of 'U.S. English slang' indicating that '86' means to get rid of or refuse service.'"
They knew there was controversy associated with it. Were they trying to build a pre-emptive defense by saying it means to "refuse service"?
Attorney General Todd Blanche forcefully defended the charges against Comey in an April appearance on "CBS Mornings." He reminded the media that threatening the life of the President is a serious federal crime passed by Congress — not some discretionary political hit job — and that no one, not even a former top cop, is above the law.
.@DAGToddBlanche: "You cannot threaten the President of the United States. That's not my decision, that's Congress' decision, in a law that they passed — and so, yes, of course this is a serious case." https://t.co/zcDzOisIrm pic.twitter.com/IC9YroOhs9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 29, 2026
"If anybody in this country thinks — especially given what happened over the past couple of years with respect to President Trump — that it is okay for anybody to threaten the president of the United States … and then have the media or others say, well that's not serious, then we have a bigger problem than I even imagined in this country," Blanche said.
"You cannot threaten the President of the United States. That's not my decision, that's Congress's decision, in a law that they passed — and so, yes, of course this is a serious case."
Comey has insisted he had no idea what "86" meant, which seems impossible given his career in law enforcement. He knew what he was doing. Is he going to pay the price for it? His relative seems sure he should.
Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting exposing the radical left and woke media? Support our work so we can keep bringing you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member