Shell Game

How the Trump Regime Turned Seashells Into a Federal Case

James Comey shared this image of seashells arranged to read “86 47” while on vacation in North Carolina on May 15th ,2025. The post was deleted later that same day after backlash and subsequent interviews with the Secret Service.

Here is an alarming reality under the Trump regime: the Department of Justice appears exclusively interested in pursuing Donald’s personal grievances rather than upholding any consistent or coherent standard of law.

On April 28, 2026, the Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury in North Carolina had indicted James Comey over a social media post. The case stems from an image Comey posted on May 15, 2025, while on vacation, showing seashells arranged to read “86 47.” That is the entirety of the alleged threat against Donald.

The indictment includes two counts. The first alleges that Comey knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of the president in violation of federal law. The second alleges that he transmitted that threat across state lines, claiming Comey consciously disregarded the risk that his post would be interpreted as advocating violence. If convicted, Comey faces up to ten years in prison.

According to Acting US Attorney General and the epitome of the banality of evil, Todd Blanche, this was a serious matter requiring extensive investigation:

The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that, at a time when this country has witnessed violent incitement followed by deadly actions against President Trump and other elected officials. The temperature needs to be turned down, and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.

FBI Director and avid party goer Kash Patel echoed that framing:

James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump’s life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see… This FBI and our DOJ partners pursued a rigorous investigation that followed the facts and now Mr. Comey will be held fully accountable for his actions.

This is a rigorous investigation. Eleven months of taxpayer dollars to make Donald feel better.

For seashells on a beach.

To understand why this case exists at all, it helps to understand who Comey is and why he has remained one of Donald’s most persistent targets.

Comey served as FBI Director beginning in 2013 and remained in that position when Donald took office in January 2017. In the early months of the first Trump regime, Comey attempted to navigate a volatile situation, overseeing the FBI’s investigation into whether Donald’s 2016 campaign had coordinated with Russian intelligence.

That effort ended in May 2017 when Donald fired him.

The official explanations shifted. At various points, Donald pointed to Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation. But Donald himself made clear that “this Russia thing” was on his mind. Comey’s removal led directly to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and cemented Comey’s role as one of Donald’s primary adversaries.

From that point forward, Donald’s attacks on Comey were relentless. Donald described Comey’s investigation as a “witch hunt.” He cast Comey as a central villain. And he made clear, repeatedly, that he believed Comey should be investigated and prosecuted.

That history matters, because it makes the current case impossible to separate from the broader pattern. The Trump regime has continued to push this pattern forward through Donald’s corrupt DOJ.

The current indictment rests on the claim that a “reasonable recipient” would interpret “86 47” as a serious threat of violence. Members of the Trump regime have insisted that “86” means to kill.

The problem is that “86” does not have a single, universally accepted meaning.

In common usage, “86” often means to remove something or to cancel it. In restaurants, it means an item is no longer available. In everyday speech, it can mean to dismiss or reject. While some have argued that it can carry a more violent connotation, that interpretation is neither consistent nor widely understood as its primary meaning.

In other words, the case hinges on ambiguity. And that ambiguity is being treated as intent. Todd Blanche stated that prosecutors would rely on witnesses, documents, and Comey himself to establish intent. That is a remarkably flimsy foundation given the facts that are publicly known.

The indictment even includes a provision seeking forfeiture of any property derived from the alleged offense. It is unclear what proceeds the Justice Department believes Comey gained from posting a photograph of seashells. That detail would be absurd if it were not part of a federal criminal case.

Comey deleted the post shortly after it was published and stated that he did not intend any harm. The Secret Service interviewed him both by phone and in person within 24 hours of the post. There has been no indication that he posed any credible threat.

And yet, here we are.

Donald has spent years demanding that the Justice Department go after his perceived enemies. He has publicly called for investigations into individuals he has labeled as disloyal or hostile. He has fired officials who failed to meet those demands and replaced them with people more willing to do so.

The Comey indictment sends a message. No matter how implausible the case, no matter how many times a case fails, the Trump regime will continue to use the United States government to pursue the people Donald has decided are his enemies.

Comey is just one of those people. There are many others. There have been repeated attempts to prosecute political adversaries. There has been sustained pressure on institutions to align with Donald’s personal interests.

Comey’s daughter, Maurene Comey, has alleged in a lawsuit that she was fired as a federal prosecutor because of Donald’s animosity toward her father. As of now, a judge has allowed that case to proceed.

None of this is subtle.

It is, however, consistent.

If this were a credible threat, it would be treated as one. There would be clear evidence of intent. There would be a consistent understanding of the alleged threat. There would be a proportional response.

Instead, we have an ambiguous phrase, a deleted social media post, and a months-long investigation that has produced a three-page indictment. We have officials insisting on the seriousness of the situation while presenting facts that undermine their own claims. And unfortunately, the Justice Department appears increasingly willing to stretch the law to satisfy Donald’s demands.

At a certain point, Donald’s absurd retribution becomes the point, where even something as trivial as a photograph of seashells becomes a federal crime. And a justice system that is supposed to operate independently is reduced to an instrument of personal grievance.

That is the real story here. Not the shells. Not the number. Not the post. It is about the justice system and what it is becoming under the weight of Donald’s need for retribution.

This is what happens when a thin-skinned baby is allowed to consolidate power.