James Comey has asked a US court for leniency ahead of his upcoming criminal trial over a social media post involving seashells arranged to spell "8647," which prosecutors allege was a coded threat against Donald Trump. The former FBI director, who has clashed repeatedly with Trump since his 2017 dismissal, denies any wrongdoing and says the post was innocuous, but the case has become another flashpoint in the long-running feud between the two men.

The number "86" is widely understood as slang for getting rid of someone, while "47" is read as a reference to Trump being the 47th US president, leading prosecutors to interpret the image as a veiled threat. Comey's legal team is seeking a more lenient approach from the court as the trial date approaches, arguing the post does not amount to a genuine threat. The case continues to draw national attention given Comey's high profile and his history of public conflict with Trump.