Greater Nashua
'No serious dispute' that Comey's seashell post could be read as a Trump threat, prosecutors say
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Justice is defending its prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, saying “there is no serious dispute" that a social media post of seashells he made last year could be understood as a threat against President Donald Trump. Prosecutors also called into question Comey's account that he had found the seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47” while walking on a beach in North Carolina and suggested that his May 2025 post on Instagram was an effort to generate attention for a forthcoming novel about a social media personality whose words inspire his fans to attack his foes. The arguments in motions late Tuesday represent the government's most detailed explanation of its indictment and were filed in response to wide-ranging defense efforts to dismiss the case on grounds including that it constitutes a vindictive prosecution ...