Former White House attorney Ty Cobb, who served under President Donald Trump, sharply criticized the Justice Department’s latest effort to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey over a controversial seashell photo. In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday evening, Cobb labeled the case as “specious” and predicted it would be thrown out of court.
Cobb Calls Prosecution 'Vindictive'
Cobb described the legal action as “classic revenge,” asserting that the document underlying the case holds no real value beyond generating publicity. “It’s a document that really isn’t worth anything other than the PR that the president’s trying to get to intimidate Comey and others who might speak out against him,” Cobb said. “It’s a vindictive prosecution.”
The case stems from a social media post by Comey last spring, in which he shared an image of seashells arranged to spell “86 47.” Some observers, including Trump, interpreted the display as a veiled threat against the president. Cobb dismissed this interpretation as unreasonable.
No Reasonable Threat
“It’ll be dismissed,” Cobb stated, emphasizing that no “reasonable” person would view the seashell arrangement as a genuine threat. He noted that “86 47” is commonly found on T-shirts and merchandise worn by individuals who simply want Trump out of office, not as a death threat. “I don’t think all those people are going to be prosecuted,” he added.
Cobb further explained that the term “86” originated as rhyming slang for “nix,” meaning to reject or cancel. “You could replace ’86′ with ‘impeach the president’ and it would have no more violent effect than ’86′ does,” he pointed out.
Trump’s History of Targeting Critics
Trump has repeatedly called for the prosecution of his critics, specifically demanding legal action against Comey. The Justice Department previously brought a separate case against Comey last year, but a judge dismissed it. Comey has maintained his innocence throughout.
The interview with Cobb underscored the ongoing political tensions surrounding the case, with Cobb asserting that the prosecution is more about intimidation than justice. Watch more of Cobb’s conversation with Burnett below.
