Lawyer: Comey 'Vigorously Denies' Seashells Charge

James Comey says a photo of seashells has landed him in court—but he insists he's not backing down. The former FBI director on Tuesday addressed a fresh federal indictment accusing him of threatening to harm former President Trump over a social media image showing shells arranged to read "86 47," widely interpreted as a call to "get rid of" the 47th president, the Hill reports.

• "Well, they're back. This time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina Beach a year ago, and this won't be the end of it. But nothing has changed with me," Comey said in a video posted on Substack. "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let's go."
• Comey added: "But it's really important that all of us remember: This is not who we are as a country; this is not how the Department of Justice is supposed to be; and the good news is we get closer every day to restoring those values. Keep the faith."

Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service last year after he shared the seashells photo on Instagram. In a later post, he said the seashells he saw arranged on the beach appeared to be a "political statement." He said he hadn't realized the numbers could be read as endorsing violence, and removed the post once that was raised. Republicans accused him of calling for Trump's assassination. The indictment states that "a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret" the seashells "as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to President Trump," the New York Times reports.

• The indictment lists one count of "knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States," per the New York Post. Comey's lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said his client "vigorously denies the charges," the Guardian reports.

• The charges arrive after an earlier case against Comey, alleging false statements and obstruction tied to his 2020 congressional testimony, was tossed over an improper prosecutor appointment, a decision the Trump administration has appealed.
• Democratic lawmakers accused Trump of using the Justice Department to target opponents. The indictment shows that the department's leaders are "desperate to continue to appease Donald Trump by appealing to his worst instincts and need for petty retribution," said Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, per the Times.
• Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department takes threats against the president seriously. "Over the past year, this department has charged dozens of cases involving threats against all sorts of individuals," he said.
• Merriam-Webster defines the term "86" as to ban or refuse to serve a customer, or, more broadly, as to "eject, dismiss, or remove" somebody. USA Today reports that there are several theories about the origin of the term, with one holding that it originated when bartenders threw unruly customers out of a New York City bar called Chumley's, located at 86 Bedford Street.