Comey appears in court after his indictment for allegedly threatening Trump

Politics Comey appears in court after his indictment for allegedly threatening Trump By Jacob Rosen Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio Jacob Rosen Updated on: April 29, 2026 / 1:29 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Former FBI Director James Comey made his first court appearance Wednesday after his indictment a day earlier for allegedly making threats against President Trump.He did not enter a plea on Wednesday. Federal Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick read the charges against Comey and denied the Justice Department's attempts to set conditions of release. "I don't think conditions on release are necessary in this case," Fitzpatrick said, adding that "they weren't necessary last time" Comey was indicted. Comey, in a blue suit and light blue dress shirt, was represented by Patrick Fitzgerald and Jessica Carmichael. He nodded as he was read his rights and smiled back at his family as he left the courtroom.Comey has been charged with two counts: knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of — and to inflict bodily harm on — the president, and second, knowingly and willfully transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to kill the president. The charges stem from an image he briefly shared to Instagram last year showing seashells arranged in the sand to form the numbers "86 47." The indictment states that a "reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances" would interpret the depiction of the shells in the photo "as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to President Trump."Comey, a frequent Trump critic, soon removed the post after outraged Trump supporters interpreted the numbers as a threat against Mr. Trump, the 47th president. He said in an Insta...