{"id":7373,"date":"2026-07-27T17:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7373"},"modified":"2026-07-27T17:36:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:36:53","slug":"james-comey-asks-judge-to-drop-case-over-86-47-seashell-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7373","title":{"rendered":"James Comey asks judge to drop case over \u201886 47\u2019 seashell post"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey asked a federal judge to dismiss the seashell threats case against him, which is set to go to trial in October, arguing that there was no actual threat against President Donald Trump in the now year-old post.\n <\/p>\n

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\n After the Justice Department had tried and failed to bring a separate case against the former director, federal prosecutors focused on a 2025 social media post from Comey of seashells spelling out \u201c86 47.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cCool shell formation on my beach walk,\u201d Comey wrote as the photo\u2019s caption.\n <\/p>\n

\n The number 86 often refers to tossing or getting rid of something, and Trump is the 47th president.\n <\/p>\n

\n In Monday\u2019s filing, Comey\u2019s defense team described basic First Amendment rights, arguing the law prohibits \u201cthe government from using criminal prosecution to silence political opposition\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cBecause the indictment targets and chills core political speech and fails as a matter of law, it must be dismissed at this juncture,\u201d his attorneys wrote.\n <\/p>\n

\n Allies of Trump, including those in charge of the country\u2019s largest law enforcement agencies, claimed last year that Comey was threatening Trump\u2019s life and the Secret Service was immediately tasked with investigating the seashells.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Comey\u2019s attorneys say that to be a \u201ctrue threat\u201d under the law, Comey\u2019s post would have needed to communicate a \u201cserious expression\u201d that Comey was going to commit violence.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cNo reasonable observer who was aware of the relevant context would read the phrase \u201886 47\u2019 to connote violence against the President,\u201d Comey\u2019s attorneys wrote. \u201cBut even if \u201886 47\u2019 could implausibly be read to suggest violence, a reasonable observer would still understand Mr. Comey\u2019s post as mere political hyperbole, not a true threat.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Comey faces charges that include making a threat against the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.\n <\/p>\n

\n Shortly after his April indictment \u2014 which was brought in North Carolina \u2014Comey responded in a video posted to his Substack account.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m still innocent. I\u2019m still not afraid,\u201d Comey said. \u201cAnd I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let\u2019s go.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

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\n Comey\u2019s arraignment is scheduled for September 30.\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey asked a federal judge to dismiss the seashell threats case against him, which is set to go to trial in October, arguing that there was no actual threat against President Donald Trump in the now year-old post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nJames Comey asks judge to drop case over \u201886 47\u2019 seashell post - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7373\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James Comey asks judge to drop case over \u201886 47\u2019 seashell post - 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