New prosecutor leads Comey case after lead removed

The lead prosecutor in a federal case against former FBI Director James Comey has been removed from the matter, according to a court filing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Petracca, who was recently hired in the Eastern District of North Carolina, is no longer representing the government in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo will now lead the prosecution.

The case centers on a two-count indictment brought in late April against Comey. Prosecutors allege that a social media post by Comey, showing seashells arranged to spell "86 47," constituted a threat against President Donald Trump. The indictment states a reasonable person would interpret the image as a serious expression of intent to harm the president. The term "86" is commonly understood as restaurant slang for being out of an item, while "47" is seen as a reference to Trump as the 47th president.

This marks the second recent Justice Department indictment against the former FBI director. An earlier case, alleging Comey lied to Congress during remote testimony five years ago, was dismissed by a judge who ruled the prosecutor had been improperly appointed.

Petracca, a former Republican county committeeman in New...