{"id":1921,"date":"2026-07-27T18:12:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coasttocoastmoverss.com\/?p=1921"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:12:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:12:54","slug":"james-comey-argues-86-47-charges-not-a-true-threat-wants-them-thrown-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coasttocoastmoverss.com\/?p=1921","title":{"rendered":"James Comey Argues \u201886 47\u2019 Charges Not A \u2018True Threat,\u2019 Wants Them Thrown Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Crucial Quote<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe indictment here has no precedent. No authority holds that broadcasting to the world another person\u2019s expression of a well-known political slogan with (at most) only an attenuated, obscure, and implausible suggestion of a call to violence can constitute a true threat,\u201d Comey\u2019s attorneys wrote in their filing. \u201cThis Court should not be the first to endorse that radical theory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Nvidia And OpenAI Discussing $500 Billion Data Center\u2014Here\u2019s What We Know<\/a><\/p>\n

What to Watch for<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether the charges against Comey will be allowed to proceed, but an answer on the issue won\u2019t come until at least September. Under the set by the court, the Trump administration has until mid-August to file its response to Comey\u2019s brief, and the former FBI chief will respond to that filing by September. It\u2019s likely after that point that the court will decide whether or not the charges should be thrown out. If the charges are allowed to proceed, Comey will be formally arraigned on Sept. 30, and the trial would start Oct. 21.<\/p>\n

What Did Comey\u2019s Post And Apology Say?<\/h2>\n

In his initial post with the photo of seashells, Comey simply captioned the post, \u201cCool shell formation on my beach walk.\u201d After taking down the post, Comey posted a message<\/u> on Instagram saying he \u201cassumed\u201d the seashells \u201cwere a political message,\u201d but he \u201cdidn\u2019t realize some folks associated those numbers with violence.\u201d That \u201cnever occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,\u201d Comey wrote.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Surprising Fact<\/h2>\n

Comey\u2019s lawyers used Trump\u2019s own rhetoric Monday to help explain why using the phrase \u201c86 47\u201d was permissible speech, noting in their filing the First Amendment allows \u201cusing violent terms to criticize political opponents.\u201d The attorneys pointed to posts Trump has made with violent connotations that\u2019s still permitted under the First Amendment, such as the president claiming<\/u> a video<\/u> that Democratic lawmakers put out criticizing the Department of Defense\u2019s policies constituted \u201cSEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!\u201d He also shared another post saying, \u201cHANG THEM.\u201d (Trump later clarified<\/u> to Fox News he was \u201cnot threatening death, but I think they\u2019re in serious trouble.\u201d)<\/p>\n

What Charges Does Comey Face?<\/h2>\n

Comey has been charged with one count<\/u> of making a threat to kill or harm the president, and one count<\/u> of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to kill or injure another person. Each count is punishable by up to five years in prison, as well as a fine.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Fired By America\u2019: A Timeline Of Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino\u2019s Exit<\/a><\/p>\n

Key Background<\/h2>\n

Comey was the FBI director<\/u> when Trump first took office in 2017, but the president controversially fired<\/u> him only months later. Comey alleged the president asked him for \u201cloyalty\u201d during a private dinner while he was still at the agency, and his dismissal was widely viewed by Trump critics as an effort to quell the FBI\u2019s ongoing investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. The ex-FBI director has become an outspoken Trump critic since leaving the DOJ, and the \u201c86 47\u201d charges mark the second time he\u2019s been indicted<\/u> during the president\u2019s second term. Comey was previously indicted for alleged false statements to Congress in September, but the charges were dismissed<\/u> months later, as a judge found U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who brought the charges, was improperly appointed. Comey has blasted both sets of charges against him as being politically motivated and denied any wrongdoing, saying<\/u> after his second indictment in April, \u201cI am still innocent. I am still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/h2>\n

Justice Department Indicts Former FBI Director James Comey Over \u201886 47\u2019 Instagram Post<\/u> (Forbes)<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Cases Against James Comey And Letitia James Dismissed<\/u> (Forbes)<\/p>\n

\u2018Assassination . . . Loud And Clear\u2019: Trump Says Comey Knew What \u201886 47\u2019 Post Meant, Despite Former FBI Director\u2019s Denial<\/u> (Forbes)<\/p>\n

Read more Mitch McConnell \u2018Not Yet Medically Cleared\u2019 For Senate Return, New Statement Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Comey\u2019s photograph of sea shells reading \u201c86 47\u201d was at most \u201cpolitical hyperbole,\u201d his attorneys argued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nJames Comey Argues \u201886 47\u2019 Charges Not A \u2018True Threat,\u2019 Wants Them Thrown Out - Coast to Coast Movers<\/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:\/\/coasttocoastmoverss.com\/?p=1921\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James Comey Argues \u201886 47\u2019 Charges Not A \u2018True Threat,\u2019 Wants Them Thrown Out - 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