WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - Former FBI Director James Comey was expected to surrender to U.S. authorities on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation, a day after being indicted
over a social media post that prosecutors allege threatened President Donald Trump.
Comey was expected to arrive at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, Virginia, to turn himself in on two charges, including threatening the life of the president and transmitting threats across state lines.
Comey has said he is innocent and will fight the accusations in court.
The indictment marks a renewed push by Trump's Justice Department to target perceived political enemies of the president with criminal prosecution. Trump last year referred to Comey by name in a social media post calling for criminal charges against his adversaries.
The charges relate to a post Comey made on Instagram last May showing seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47.”
The number “86” is a slang term originating in the restaurant industry that can mean to “get rid of” or throw someone out. Forty-seven is a possible reference to Trump as the 47th U.S. president.
The indictment, approved by a federal grand jury in North Carolina, alleged that a reasonable recipient of the message would interpret it as a threat to Trump.
Comey deleted the post shortly after it was published, saying he viewed it as a political message and was not aware that the numbers were associated with violence.
Comey, a longtime Trump foe, has now faced two criminal cases from the Justice Department during Trump’s second administration. A previous case accusing him of lying to Congress was dismissed by a federal judge.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; editing by Scott Malone)
