Posted on 04/28/2026 6:01:07 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau spent nearly a year investigating a social media post that led to Tuesday’s indictment of one of his predecessors, James Comey.
Comey was charged over an Instagram post he made in May 2025, which he later deleted after conservative uproar. The post showed an image of seashells on a beach arranged in a way that read “86 47.” The former FBI director wrote, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
President Donald Trump is the 47th president, while “86” is slang in the service industry and typically means to refuse service to someone or to throw a person out of an establishment. Conservatives insisted the “86” in this case meant “kill.”
Amid the furor last year, Comey said it was “crazy” to think his post was a threat.
Comey was indicted on two counts in the Eastern District of North Carolina: making a threat against the president and transmitting a threat across state lines.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Patel echoed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said the bureau spent 11 months on the case. The director said the length of the probe is not unusual, as such cases “take time”:
As the U.S. Attorney indicated, James Comey will be afforded every matter of due process under the United States Constitution. And as the attorney general indicated, this has been a case that’s been investigated over the past nine, 10, 11 months. These cases take time. Our investigators work methodically. They are career agents, career prosecutors who work these matters. They call the balls and strikes in the field as they see fit, pursuant to the facts of the case and the law. They took that information and made a presentment to a grand jury, a jury of their peers in the district in which the alleged crime took place. And that grand jury spoke. And that grand jury returned a two-count indictment against James Comey, James Comey allegedly threatened the life of the president of the United States.
This is the second time Comey has been indicted. In September, a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia indicted Comey for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation in 2020. Two months later, a judge tossed the charges after ruling that the U.S. Attorney for the District, who had signed the indictment, was illegally appointed.
Why did it take a year to indict Comey on such a weak charge? I think it is because Pam believed it was too weak to win and the new fellow disagreed and pursued it anyways.
This doesn’t bode well for the much bigger crimes past and present.
Go to plan B.
Took the words out of my mouth.
In that posters defense
He’s wrong now but right frequently
He unfortunately isn’t the most charitable amongst us
Half his or her posts are essentially “screw you”
Its free republic you know how it is
:: where did he learn that meaning of the term ::
Al Capone
G-men files.
Democrats would have had all this done in 3 DAYS!!!! STEP ON IT!
“What a ridiculous thing to say.”
What a ridiculous response to make.
You are supposed to explain why it is ridiculous, just as he is supposed to explain why something that is so simple takes so long.
Yes, he was being arrogant.
So the charges filed regarding the 2020 case that was throw out cannot be re-filed? He gets away scot-free on those charges?
Yo, Beer Bro Kash with the honey pot HollyWood “girlfriend”, hey you pop eyed pajeet, hey mofo, when you get the time, in between Hockey Bro moments, could you shed a little light on the Butler, PA attempt on President Trump ?
Yeah, yeah, we know, Little Timmy Crooks died that day. The End .
Show this swarthy LARPer the door.
Yes, I remember in the early 90s working at restaurants and the common term for when something was no longer available or taken off the menu was 86. For the head of the FBI to not know this is ludicrous, and I’m not talking about the rapper/singer.
Seems like the only thing not on Bondi’s desk was her sorting through all the piles left unfinished.
LOL! This was probably hurridly cobbled together after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Jack Posobiec once posted “86 46” on his Twitter. Was that a threat against Biden?
https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1487642601536864256
Here’s a shirt on Amazon with the same message:
Is this a threat?
It looks to me like this is a chance to “lawfare” Comey, which is what that crooked ass did to Trump officials.
So while Comey is unlikely to get convicted for SeashellGate, he will have to spend his time and money defending himself. Paybacks are a bitch!
Got it. Thanks.
Posobiec claims he was referring to the 25th amendment for Biden and Comey was writing this to promote a book about assassinating Presidents.
I have no idea what the truth is about your example. I do think Comey is so arrogant that he was threatening assasination and thought he was so clever that he could get away with it
That too. But, I’m not convinced that he won’t be convicted.
That’s your opinion, and you’re certainly entitled to it. But that’s all that it is until such time as further evidence of any such intentions may emerge.
Comey claims that he simply ran across the seashells and just took the picture. And while most everyone, including his friends, think that he is lying it is another matter to convince everyone on a jury.
So we may have to settle for just seeing him squirm and waste time and money fighting what most everyone will also recognize as lawfare payback, which Comey richly deserves.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.