Sept. 25 (UPI) — A federal judge in North Carolina on Friday said the trial for former FBI Director James Comey — on allegations he threatened to kill President Donald Trump –won’t begin until 2027 as she works through multiple motions.
U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan issued an order delaying Comey’s arraignment until January. He was originally set to be arraigned Wednesday in New Bern, N.C.
He was charged with threatening the president after he posted a photo on Instagram of the numbers 8647 written out on a beach in seashells. Federal prosecutors said the photo constituted a threat against Trump because “86” is often considered restaurant shorthand for “get rid of” and 47 could represent Trump as the 47th president of the United States.
Comey’s team asked the judge to dismiss the case in July, arguing the photo couldn’t be considered “a true threat.” The defense team also asked for a delay.
“The gravity of the charges, pending motions and the need to provide defense counsel additional time to prepare for trial promote need for continuance,” Flanagan said in her order.
The former FBI director is a longstanding critic of the president, who fired him in 2017. Comey said Trump is targeting him because of his criticism. This is the second time a grand jury has indicted Comey during Trump’s second term after the president claimed he’d committed a crime. A judge dismissed the first case in November.
Jill Keppeler contributed to this report.
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