Fox News legal contributor Jonathan Turley expressed skepticism over the Trump administration's indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, which stemmed from a beach photo posted on Instagram. The indictment, announced Tuesday, accuses Comey of threatening President Donald Trump by sharing an image of seashells arranged to read "86 47."
Turley Questions the Case
During an interview with Fox News, Turley noted that the case appeared weak. He pointed out that the slang "86" typically means to remove someone from a premises, not to threaten harm. "Well, I have to say, I must be in a parallel universe to be talking about the shell artwork of James Comey," Turley remarked. He emphasized that while Comey's denial of creating the art might be relevant if proven false, the photo itself would likely not hold up as a threat in court.
Legal Challenges Ahead
Turley explained that the indictment would face a First Amendment challenge. "Just showing a picture like that would be a very difficult foundation, a very unstable foundation for prosecution," he said. Co-anchor John Roberts noted that threatening a president is a federal crime, but Turley countered that the photo would likely be considered protected speech.
Former White House attorney Ty Cobb echoed Turley's view, calling the indictment "specious" and predicting it would be thrown out as "classic revenge." Comey has maintained his innocence. This marks the second indictment against Comey; a previous case for lying to Congress was dismissed in November.
The case has drawn criticism as part of a broader pattern of the administration targeting perceived enemies through prosecution. Legal experts argue that the evidence is insufficient to support a threat charge.
