Court exhibits made public in a recent filing have exposed what The New York Times described as "one of the most glaring examples to date of the degree to which Mr. Trump now directs federal law enforcement actions," specifically regarding the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in May 2017 amid the bureau's Russia investigation.

The records, published by CNN, stem from the discovery process in the case against Comey, who faces accusations of threatening the president after posting a photograph on social media showing seashells arranged to spell "86-47" on a North Carolina beach. The number 47 refers to Trump's position as the 47th president. Comey's legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the prosecution as vindictive.

According to the exhibits, Trump personally asked a Secret Service agent who had interviewed Comey to hand over their notes so he could use them at a press conference scheduled for later that same day. One agent messaged colleagues that Comey's post and the ensuing investigation "is a hot topic" aboard Air Force One and that Trump "is very interested."

Comey later removed the photo and explained that, based on his and his wife's experience in the restaurant industry, the term "86" means to clear a table or cancel an order — not to harm someone.

The filing also compiled every public statement Trump made about Comey between May 2017 and the fall of 2025. The Times characterized the collected records as evidence of "his intense personal involvement in investigating his longtime nemesis and a sharp break from past practice in which the president remained removed from criminal inquiries." That tradition of presidential distance from specific criminal cases has been a stated Justice Department norm since the Watergate era.

The internal communications further reveal that the special agent in charge of the matter at the Secret Service inquired whether law enforcement could track Comey's phone. Another agent pushed back, calling it a "bad idea" because they would need to "declare an exigency exemption" in court.

"We needed to believe that there is an imminent threat to life or limb," that agent wrote. "At that time we did not believe that anyone's life was in immediate danger and legally it was a bad idea to ping the phone."

The prosecution's case contends that Comey posed an "imminent threat" to the president, even though Comey was on vacation at the time. The special agent in charge acknowledged that tracking the phone was "legally questionable" but reportedly added, "we might anyway."

Separately, CBS News reported in October that Trump wanted a "perp walk" staged as part of Comey's indictment. According to a source, leadership requested "large, beefy" agents to carry out the arrest of Comey "in full kit," including Kevlar vests and outerwear bearing the FBI logo. The source indicated that a supervisory special agent from the violent crimes division of the FBI's Washington Field Office was suggested as someone who could assemble the appropriate personnel.

Comey was interviewed by telephone by Secret Service agents and agreed to visit their office for an additional interview on his return trip from North Carolina. The full motion to dismiss was filed on Tuesday.