The legal battle over a social media post of seashells is heading to a eastern North Carolina courtroom.
Former FBI Director James Comey is scheduled to make his initial appearance on May 11th in Greenville, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Swank. This follows his brief appearance in Virginia this week, where he surrendered to authorities but was released without conditions.
The case centers on a deleted Instagram photo of shells arranged to form the numbers "86 47"—which the Justice Department argues is a coded death threat against President Trump.
Comey, who owns a home in Emerald Isle, maintains the numbers were a political message he removed once he realized they were being misinterpreted.
His legal team has already signaled they plan to fight the felony charges, calling the prosecution "selective and vindictive".