Trump’s New Case Against Comey Is Falling Apart

0:00 James Comey has once again been indicted by Trump's DOJ,

0:02 and this time over a picture of seashells on a beach from a year ago.

0:05 Because Comey posted this photo on Instagram back in May that read 8647.

0:10 then he added the caption, cool shell formation on my beach walk.

0:13 now 86.

0:13 That's kind of slang typically meant to get

0:15 rid of something or toss something out.

0:17 I worked in a few restaurants myself when I was younger.

0:19 If you've worked it, you've heard 86 that.

0:21 some even use 86.

0:22 Like, as a way to say refuse service to someone.

0:24 then, you know, 47 appears to reference the 47 President Trump.

0:27 so the message was interpreted by many to mean get rid of Trump.

0:30 those specifically the immediate response from many of Trump's

0:32 loyalists was that it was a call to violence.

0:34 so within a day, the bows went down with Comey saying that he

0:36 stumbled upon the seashells and assumed that it was a political message,

0:39 writing in a follow up post,

0:40 I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,

0:42 and I oppose violence of any kind.

0:43 So I took the post down.

0:45 that didn't stop the accusations from rolling in.

0:46 in fact, Trump administration officials like former DHS Secretary

0:49 Kristi Noem accused him of calling for Trump's assassination.

0:51 And Comey was quickly interviewed by the Secret Service.

0:53 even Trump himself leaned into it, saying on Fox News.

0:56 He knew exactly what that meant.

0:58 A child knows what that meant.

0:59 If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant,

1:04 that meant assassination.

1:07 And it says it loud and clear.

1:09 many people were also quick to say that Republicans

1:11 were overreaching and that the Republican outrage was hypocritical,

1:14 as far as why hypocritical.

1:15 Because you have big names in the MAGA space sharing 8646 in reference to Biden.

1:19 even Donald Trump himself shared a video of a truck

1:21 with a decals showing Biden tied up and gagged on the tailgate.

1:24 I posted, by the way, is just still up.

1:25 yeah, today we're talking about seashells.

1:27 Dangerous, dangerous seashells.

1:29 well, this whole thing, you know,

1:30 it kicked off an investigation that kind of faded into the background

1:32 as more insane shit just kept happening over and over.

1:35 that is until now.

1:36 I mean, well, insane shit is still happening.

1:38 but we also got an update here because you had a new interim

1:40 attorney general trying to prove that he'll be a good lapdog for Trump.

1:43 are you what, acting AG Todd Blank

1:44 announcing the indictment in a press conference yesterday.

1:46 first count is that on or about May 15th of last year,

1:51 he knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life

1:53 of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States.

1:58 while this case is unique and this indictment

2:01 stands out because of the name of the defendant,

2:03 his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we

2:07 will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and prosecute.

2:12 now, despite Blanchard's assurance that this is totally normal,

2:15 it's totally routine.

2:17 There's absolutely no doubt that this case is a longshot at best,

2:19 where you got a wide variety of experts saying this is just dead in the water,

2:22 pointing out that this is clearly free speech, protected by the First Amendment,

2:25 and noting that it's going to be nearly impossible

2:27 to prove that Comey intended the seashells as a threat.

2:29 still, you have Trump trying to use

2:31 the DOJ to handle his personal beef with Comey.

2:32 And that's not new.

2:33 in fact, it was a serious issue that he

2:35 had with Pam Bondi while she was attorney general.

2:37 we're saying she wasn't being aggressive enough

2:38 against him and Trump's other perceived enemies.

2:40 there were also like, if you don't remember,

2:41 Trump's DOJ had their first indictment against Comey thrown out

2:44 by a federal judge who concluded that the interim U.S.

2:46 attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia had been improperly appointed.

2:49 and then there's the fact that Trump fired Comey, his daughter,

2:51 from her position as a high profile New York federal prosecutor.

2:53 and so there's a chance that Comey's defense looks

2:55 to get this case thrown out on selective and vindictive prosecution.

2:57 Arguing that the Trump administration that is trying to make something,

3:00 anything stick against him to appease their boss.

3:02 that is now also fueling the Republicans concerns that Trump's focus,

3:04 it's less on things that got him elected

3:06 and more on him just settling years old beef.

3:08 or with for example, a GOP strategist in Arizona, Barrett Morrison,

3:11 saying there is no doubt that the vast majority of non MAGA voters want

3:14 Trump to focus on anything but his personal

3:16 animus toward a wide variety of people.

3:17 something that was echoed by another

3:18 Republican strategist and Trump critic who said,

3:20 that's exactly the opposite of what most Americans would like to see.

3:23 The president in the Department of Justice

3:24 focused They're worried about inflation and the economy,

3:27 and many of them are worried about how the war in Iran will end.

3:29 Spending time relitigating old disputes is exactly

3:31 the opposite of what most Americans want.

3:33 then as far as Comey's take taking

3:34 all this, he didn't really seem too concerned.

3:36 And his response video on Substack.

3:37 Well.

3:38 They're back.

3:38 This time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago.

3:45 And this won't be the end of it.

3:47 But nothing has changed with me.

3:49 I'm still innocent.

3:51 I'm still not afraid.

3:52 And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary.

3:55 So let's go.

3:56 So definitely something we're gonna have to keep eyes on.

3:58 But also definitely not the only high profile case we have to talk about today.