{"id":3342,"date":"2026-07-29T04:39:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T04:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3342"},"modified":"2026-07-29T04:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T04:39:35","slug":"james-comey-legal-team-argues-dojs-seashells-case-erodes-bedrock-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3342","title":{"rendered":"James Comey legal team argues DOJ\u2019s seashells case erodes \u2018bedrock\u2019 principles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Allowing the seashells-based prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey to move forward would erode core constitutional rights protecting free speech, Comey\u2019s legal team in North Carolina on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Read more U.S. thwarts an Iranian missile attack and launches strikes with Saudi Arabia against militias in Iraq<\/a><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, members of Comey\u2019s eight-person legal team filed a motion asking a judge to toss the seashells case, saying it is \u201cnot based on a good-faith application of the law to the facts; instead, it effectuates a yearslong campaign by the President to use the criminal process to punish Mr. Comey for his protected speech and because of the President\u2019s deep-seated animosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Trump-driven case must be cast aside \u201cunder two bedrock legal doctrines,\u201d they said: that the case was instigated based on Comey\u2019s protected speech and that the government engaged in selective prosecution.<\/p>\n

\u201cDismissal of federal criminal charges under these doctrines has historically been rare. That is because for decades the DOJ\u2019s independence and integrity have guarded against the use of the criminal process to punish enemies or settle political scores,\u201d they wrote. \u201cThe prosecutions of Mr. Comey mark a sharp break from that tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comey\u2019s team also filed a separate motion Tuesday in the case, arguing that while \u201cgrand jury proceedings are typically entitled to a presumption of regularity, the irregularities surrounding the return of the indictment in this case overcome that presumption.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comey\u2019s team had already argued Monday that the seashells case should be tossed because Comey\u2019s Instagram post was not a true threat, arguing that \u201cdictionaries, context, precedent, and common sense\u201d gut the Trump administration\u2019s claims about the meaning of the numbers \u201c8647.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A Justice Department official who was not authorized to discuss the case previously told NBC News that the case was a \u201ccomplete loser\u201d and a \u201cwaste of resources\u201d and predicted that it would be tossed before trial. \u201cNo reasonable person could believe that Comey intended to threaten the president via seashells,\u201d the person said. \u201cEveryone at this DOJ should be ashamed. I know I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan is overseeing the case. If the case survives to trial, Comey Sept. 30, and the trial would take place Oct. 21 in New Bern, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Read more Senate confirms Clayton as new director of intelligence<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Petracca, a rookie federal prosecutor and former Republican official in New Jersey, brought the case under the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, W. Ellis Boyle, a Trump administration appointee, but he dropped off the case in late May. <\/p>\n

In one of their motions, Comey\u2019s lawyers note that Petracca became an actual assistant U.S. attorney on April 26, just two days before the Comey case was brought.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note that Mr. Petracca was at all times professional in his interaction with the defense team,\u201d Comey\u2019s attorneys wrote. \u201cWe only note his limited experience in that it is unusual in most circumstances for such a high-profile case to be delegated to a junior attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petracca, they write, had a \u201cbackground in state Medicaid fraud and little federal criminal experience\u201d and has since \u201cwithdrawn from the case and transferred to the Civil Division.\u201d Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo is now heading the prosecution. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Comey\u2019s team made a similar argument of vindictiveness and selective prosecution after former White House aide Lindsey Halligan brought a case against him over testimony he gave in 2020. Included in that filing was a that Trump made about Comey from May 2017 to the fall of 2025. <\/p>\n

But a judge never ruled on the arguments of vindictiveness and selective prosecution in that case, instead finding the entire case was invalid because Halligan could not legally hold the position she claimed.<\/p>\n

Read more Some schools extend admissions for students unenrolled by Howard University<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s the second time the Trump administration has found a way to criminally charge the former FBI director, whom Trump has targeted for years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice-department"],"yoast_head":"\nJames Comey legal team argues DOJ\u2019s seashells case erodes \u2018bedrock\u2019 principles - Trusted Moving Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3342\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James Comey legal team argues DOJ\u2019s seashells case erodes \u2018bedrock\u2019 principles - 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