James Comey criminal case and prosecution
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Controversy Arises Over Prosecution's Use of James Comey's Novel and Mob Informant in Legal Case
The FBI interviewed former Gambino crime family underboss Salvatore Gravano regarding whether James Comey likely understood the meaning of the term "86".
The U.S. Department of Justice charged James Comey in April with threatening the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce over a social media post showing seashells arranged as "8647".
Federal prosecutors cited the protagonist in Comey's novel "FDR Drive" to argue in court that Comey sent coded messages suggesting violence.
“It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,”
US Justice Department defends prosecution of James Comey over '8647' seashell post
“in this context, no reasonable observer would understand the phrase ‘86 47’ to connote violence at all – let alone to threaten that Mr Comey personally would commit violence against the President”
Justice Department defends Comey prosecution over '8647' seashell post
Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017.
Prosecutors said Comey has admitted that the "47" in the post referred to President Trump.
A judge dismissed the earlier case in November after ruling that Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer for Trump, was unlawfully appointed as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“in this context, no reasonable observer would understand the phrase ‘86 47’ to connote violence at all – let alone to threaten that Mr Comey personally would commit violence against the President”