Comey surrenders to law enforcement, appears in court

Former FBI Director James B. Comey turned himself in to federal authorities on Wednesday after being indicted on charges of making threats against President Trump in a social media post last year.

Mr. Comey surrendered to law enforcement at the federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia before his first appearance, a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes.

Mr. Comey, an adversary of Mr. Trump, is charged with one count of knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States and one count of knowingly and willfully transmitting an interstate commerce communication that contained a threat to kill the president of the United States, according to the court’s filing.

He was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday related to a photo he posted of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47,” which the Justice Department argues amounted to a threat against Mr. Trump.

He was immediately scrutinized for the post, with critics arguing that it refers to the slang usage of 86, meaning to get rid of or toss something out, and Mr. Trump, the 47th president.

Mr. Comey said he believed it was communicating a “political message” and deleted the post.

“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he said in a statement. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

The former bureau chief’s attorneys told the judge that they plan to file motions accusing the Justice Department of selectively and vindictively prosecuting their client. Mr. Comey did not enter a plea.

He has maintained his innocence, stating in a video after the indictment, “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So, let’s go.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to elaborate at a news conference on what evidence of intent the government has.

The indictment is the second against Mr. Comey, who was previously indicted by a federal grand jury last year for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. But it was tossed out by a federal judge because he determined the prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed.