politics
James Comey Trial Scheduled for July 15 in Seashell Post Case
A federal judge set a tentative trial date of July 15 for former FBI Director James Comey on charges related to an Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell "86 47." Prosecutors allege the post constituted a threat against the president. Comey is scheduled to be arraigned on June 30 and his lawyers plan to seek dismissal of the case.
May 8, 7:49 PM·1m read4 sources
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Former FBI Director James Comey is tentatively set to stand trial on July 15 on charges that he allegedly threatened to kill the president by posting a photo of seashells spelling out "86 47" on a beach. In a written order issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan scheduled the trial to begin on July 15.
After his court appearance in North Carolina originally set for Monday was canceled, Comey will be arraigned on June 30. His pretrial conference is scheduled to take place on or before May 29. Comey’s lawyers have previewed that they plan to move to dismiss the case.
Following backlash, Comey removed the photo from Instagram. He stated that he had assumed the shells formed a political message and was unaware that some associated the numbers with violence. "I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message.
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," Comey posted.
Justice prosecutors brought the case after a judge last year threw out an indictment against Comey on unrelated charges. The current charges renew efforts to prosecute one of the president's longtime adversaries. The case will proceed following the June 30 arraignment and the pretrial conference scheduled by the end of May.
