{"id":2636060,"date":"2026-07-27T14:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comey-asks-court-to-dismiss-86-47-seashell-case\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:39:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:39:41","slug":"comey-asks-court-to-dismiss-86-47-seashell-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/comey-asks-court-to-dismiss-86-47-seashell-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Comey asks court to dismiss &#8217;86 47&#8242; seashell case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcomey-asks-court-to-dismiss-86-47-seashell-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2636060&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former FBI Director James Comey has requested a federal judge to dismiss charges related to an indictment by the Trump governance over a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald ...\">social media post<\/a>. Comey posted a photo of seashells arranged in the pattern &#8220;86 47,&#8221; which the goverment claims was a threat against President Trump, interpreted as an alleged call for his assassination. Comey&#8217;s attorneys argue that the message was not a true threat but rather political hyperbole, with the phrase &#8220;86&#8221; meaning &#8220;get rid of&#8221; or &#8220;eject,&#8221; and &#8220;47&#8221; referring to Trump as the 47th President. Thay contend that no reasonable observer would see the post as violent or threatening. Comey had taken down the post after the controversy and the Secret Service investigation. He denies any wrongdoing and faces two charges for threatening the president. The case marks Comey&#8217;s second indictment during Trump&#8217;s presidency, with the first being dismissed. His lawyers also argue that prosecuting him infringes on his First Amendment rights, emphasizing that the seashells were arranged by someone else, indicating political expression rather than a personal threat.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comey\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"169\">James Comey<\/a> asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"339\">Trump administration\u2019s<\/a> indictment over his social media post featuring seashells in the shape of \u201c86 47,\u201d an apparent threat against the president, as alleged by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"438\">Department of Justice<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defendant\u2019s lawyers insisted the controversial post did not constitute a \u201ctrue threat\u201d against President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> and that it was \u201cmere political hyperbole\u201d instead.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4664537\/james-comey-asks-court-dismiss-86-47-seashell-case\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Comey asks court to dismiss \u201986 47\u2032 seashell case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4663722\/hawaii-lieutenant-governor-sylvia-luke-bribery\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Hawaii\u2019s Democratic lieutenant governor indicted in bribery investigation<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4663537\/biden-drops-lawsuit-seeking-block-memoir-tapes-after-court-loss\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Biden drops lawsuit seeking block of memoir tapes after court loss<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has interpreted \u201c86 47\u201d messages as open calls for his assassination, but Comey denies that was his intention.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo justify this prosecution, the indictment alleges that Mr. Comey\u2019s \u201886 47\u2019 post constitutes a \u2018true threat\u2019 on the President\u2019s life. That claim is contradicted by every possible source of meaning: dictionaries, context, precedent, and common sense,\u201d Comey\u2019s attorneys wrote in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.nced.227449\/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.33.0.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.nced.227449\/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.33.0.pdf\">supplementary document<\/a> accompanying their motion to dismiss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c\u201886\u2019 simply means \u2018get rid of\u2019 or \u2018eject\u2019 and has no violent connotation except in the most uncommon usages. Most dictionaries do not even list the meaning\u2014\u2019to kill\u2019\u2014that the government now proposes. And when combined with \u201c47\u201d\u2014slang for President Trump, the forty-seventh President\u2014\u201986\u2019 becomes nothing more than a call to oppose President Trump,\u201d they said. \u201cThus, in this context, no reasonable observer would understand the phrase \u201886 47\u2019 to connote violence at all\u2014let alone to threaten that Mr. Comey personally would commit violence against the President.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The motion was submitted in the Eastern District of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"552\">North Carolina<\/a>, where Comey allegedly snapped a photo of the seashells while he was walking along the beach last year. He later deleted the post after the numbers sparked controversy, prompting an investigation by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/secret-service\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1478\">Secret Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comey has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. He faces two charges for threatening the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The federal case marks the second time that the former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"516\">FBI<\/a> director has been indicted during Trump\u2019s second term. The first indictment, filed over Comey\u2019s alleged obstruction of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"31\">Congress<\/a>, was dismissed by a federal judge in the Eastern District of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"96\">Virginia<\/a> last year. It remains to be seen whether the federal judge in North Carolina will dismiss the second indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4552810\/blanche-comey-86-47-seashell-photo-trump\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4552810\/blanche-comey-86-47-seashell-photo-trump\/\">BLANCHE SAYS IT WAS \u2018NOT JUST\u2019 COMEY\u2019S \u201986 47\u2032 SEASHELL POST THAT LED TO INDICTMENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the court document, Comey\u2019s attorneys make the case that the federal government\u2019s criminal prosecution of their client is violating his free speech rights under the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"881\">First Amendment<\/a>. They noted he merely posted the image of the seashells, which were arranged in the \u201c86 47\u201d formation by the time Comey got to the beach. This indicates another person made the political statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cForcing Mr. Comey to stand trial for a statement opposing the President\u2014even if he is ultimately acquitted\u2014would itself be an unconstitutional punishment of free speech,\u201d the lawyers wrote. \u201cAnd it would invite future prosecutions by the Executive Branch against perceived political enemies for their opposition to the President.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Comey seeks dismissal of &#8217;86 47&#8242; seashell threat case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2636061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26208584153864.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[23264,4733,4901,4431],"class_list":["post-2636060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-comey","tag-court","tag-justice","tag-legal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26208584153864.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2636060"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2636064,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636060\/revisions\/2636064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2636061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2636060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2636060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2636060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}