Overview
- A federal judge, Louise Flanagan, set the trial to start on July 15, and Comey's lawyers said they will seek to throw out the case.
- An indictment accuses Comey of knowingly spreading a murder threat against President Donald Trump tied to a photo of seashells arranged as "86 47."
- Trump and his supporters read the numbers as a call to kill the 47th president, while Comey deleted the post and said he meant a political message.
- Merriam-Webster notes that "86" has long meant to get rid of something and only rarely carries a killing sense, which complicates interpretation.
- The outcome could clarify how courts treat coded political speech on social media when prosecutors must prove a true threat and intent.