Federal Judge Sets July 15 Trial Date for James Comey on Charges He Threatened President Trump

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has scheduled former FBI Director James Comey’s criminal trial for July 15, 2026, on two felony counts accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan in the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the scheduling order on Friday. Comey is charged with knowingly and willfully making a threat against the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Both counts stem from a May 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47” on a North Carolina beach. Prosecutors say “86” is slang for “eliminate” or “get rid of” and “47” refers to Trump as the 47th president, making the post a coded threat. Comey deleted the post and has said he found the formation while walking on the beach and viewed it as a political message, not a call to violence.

This is the second federal prosecution of Comey since President Trump returned to office. In September 2025, he was indicted on charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his 2020 Senate testimony about the Russia investigation. That case was dismissed in November 2025 after a judge ruled the interim U.S. attorney who brought the charges had been unlawfully appointed. The Justice Department appealed the dismissal.

Comey is scheduled for arraignment on June 30 and is expected to plead not guilty. Pretrial motions are due by June 5. His attorneys plan to seek dismissal on grounds of selective and vindictive prosecution. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the government’s case includes evidence beyond the Instagram post.

Comey, fired by Trump as FBI director in 2017, has described the current case as political retribution. The trial will be held in New Bern, North Carolina, and is subject to the Speedy Trial Act deadline of July