Former FBI Director James Comey is making it clear that he has no intention of silencing his criticism of the president as he prepares to face a criminal trial. Comey addressed the charges pending against him in North Carolina, which stem from a photograph of seashells that he shared on social media, The Hill reported.
The image displayed the message 86 47, a combination that prosecutors allege constitutes a threat against the president. To 86 something is a common piece of restaurant slang that means to remove or get rid of an item, and since the president is the 47th person to hold the office, the implication in the charges is that the post was a signal to remove him from power.
Despite the gravity of the situation and the looming court date, Comey remains defiant. He told Nicolle Wallace that he has no plans to pull back from his public stance. “I’m not going to be quiet. I’m going to continue to speak about what I believe,” Comey said during the interview. He framed the entire legal ordeal as a targeted effort by the administration to punish him for his long history of opposition. According to Comey, the president has a personal vendetta that drives these actions. “Donald Trump has a bottomless desire to gain revenge against those who criticized him,” he added.
The former FBI director expressed a belief that he occupies a significant amount of the president’s headspace
“I think Donald Trump wakes up at 3:00 in the morning thinking about me, I do not, the vice — reverse does not happen,” Comey said. He seems prepared for a long road ahead, acknowledging that this legal battle might be just one chapter in a larger story of political friction. “But I’m sure that if this case falls apart, they’ll come up with something else. I’m going to have to deal with this, as I’ve told my family, they’re going to have to deal with this as long as Donald Trump is in the White House thinking about me in the middle of the night.”
When the conversation shifted to the current state of the West Wing, Comey did not hold back his assessment of the staff and cabinet. He suggested that the current group is arguably worse than the team that served during the first term. He pointed to a lack of institutional oversight and a failure to uphold legal norms as primary concerns. “There doesn’t appear to be anybody left who is willing to stand for institutional imperatives, norms, things like the rule of law in the face of a desire by the president,” Comey stated.
He noted that while there were individuals in the first term who pushed back, those voices have been systematically removed. He specifically mentioned the departure of Pam Bondi, whose tenure was marked by controversy regarding the release of files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, as evidence that the administration has successfully filled its ranks with people who align with the president’s personal agenda. “Apparently, it happened a little bit, at least with Pam Bondi. So, she’s gone. What it tells me is that he has found the crew that he was looking for,” Comey said.
As for the legal proceedings in North Carolina, Comey is maintaining a strict boundary regarding what he will discuss in public. He acknowledged that he needs to respect the court and the legal process, even if he feels the charges are part of a retaliatory campaign.
“It’s very important that we respect and obey the rules of the federal court in North Carolina and everywhere, even if others don’t. And so, I’m not going to talk about that except to say, as I said earlier, I am not only not guilty, I am innocent, and we will pursue this fully,” he told Wallace. He declined to answer specific questions about his defense strategy, noting that he hates to stiff-arm the interviewer but must prioritize the integrity of the judicial process.
The legal timeline is moving forward, with U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan overseeing the case in New Bern, North Carolina. Judge Flanagan, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, has set a trial date for July 15. While there was an initial plan for an arraignment, the court agreed to postpone the Monday session because Comey had already made an appearance in Virginia, where he resides. He is now scheduled to appear in the Eastern District of North Carolina on June 30 to formally enter his plea.
Comey’s legal team has indicated that they intend to challenge the charges, potentially moving to have the indictment tossed on the grounds that it represents a selective and vindictive prosecution. The judge has ordered that all pretrial motions be filed by June 5, and it is possible that additional hearings will be added to the schedule to address those filings before the trial begins in the middle of July.
Comey continues to deny any wrongdoing, pointing to the fact that previous charges brought against him were ultimately dismissed.
Published: May 12, 2026 05:00 pm