Federal Judge Sets July 15 Trial Date for Former FBI Director James Comey

A federal judge issued an order Friday setting a criminal trial date of July 15 for former FBI Director James Comey. U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan of North Carolina also postponed Comey’s first appearance in court that had been scheduled for Monday.

The case centers on a since-deleted May 2025 Instagram post that featured a picture of the numeric sequence “86 47” spelled out in seashells on a beach. Prosecutors say the phrase amounted to a threat against the life of the sitting president, noting that the slang term “86” often refers to killing someone.

” One post included a clip from Comey’s May 2025 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in which he said his wife thought that “86” referred to something in the restaurant industry. A second post featured a video of Comey explaining how he found the seashells while walking on the beach with his wife.

In that video he denied that the post had any violent intentions. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on May 3 that the investigation leading to the indictment included more than the Instagram post. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) argued last Sunday that Comey did not commit a crime, stating that “86” commonly means taking something off a menu or removing a product.

Comey is expected to enter a not guilty plea on June 30.

The court set a May 29 deadline for the pretrial conference. The lawyers argued that his initial appearance had already taken place during a federal court proceeding in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 29. The trial is scheduled to begin on July 15 in North Carolina.