Former FBI Director James Comey has asked a judge to dismiss criminal charges against him stemming from an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to spell out “8647.” According to court filings made in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where Comey visited a beach, the case accuses him of threatening President Donald Trump’s life through the image.
Comey argues that the charges should be dropped on First Amendment grounds, contending that his post is protected speech. The defense filing also challenges the core allegation, asserting that the seashell image could not legally constitute a “true threat” as required to prosecute the case. The sources do not indicate disagreement on these basic facts of Comey’s legal arguments, though they vary in which aspects they emphasize.
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