Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Wednesday said he hopes the Justice Department has stronger evidence against former FBI Director James Comey than what he called "just a picture in the sand." The Justice Department indicted Comey on Tuesday with charges alleging he threatened President Trump by posting a photo of seashells arranged to read "86 47" almost a year ago. Federal prosecutors allege the post was encouraging political violence against the president, using slang meaning to remove or eliminate someone.
The indictment marks the second round of charges against Comey. He previously faced perjury and obstruction charges stemming from testimony he gave to Congress in 2020 concerning leaks at the FBI. That earlier case was dismissed over concerns about the unlawful appointment of the prosecutor who pursued it.
What the Right Is Saying
Tillis, speaking with reporters on Wednesday, expressed skepticism that the photograph alone would constitute sufficient evidence for conviction. "Hopefully there's more to it than just the picture in the sand," he said. "Otherwise, I just think it's another example where we're going to regret this because we're setting a fairly low bar."
The North Carolina Republican invoked what he called "political physics" in warning about potential consequences of prosecutions that may lack robust evidence. "For every action, there's equal and opposite reaction," Tillis said. "Maybe there's a deep history and the use of this word and communicated, I just can't find it anywhere right now."
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the prosecution at a Tuesday press conference. "Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice," he said. "Over the past year, this department has charged dozens of cases involving threats against all sorts of individuals. We take these seriously. Every single one of them."
What the Left Is Saying
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) called the indictment "surreal and absurd" during public comments, aligning with a broader skepticism among some Democrats about the strength of the prosecution's case. Comey himself responded to the new charges by posting a video to his Substack page declaring his innocence.
"I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary," Comey said in the video. "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."
The former FBI director previously told reporters he believed his seashell arrangement was intended as a political message and said he did not realize the numbers could be associated with violence. He ultimately deleted the post after posting it.
What the Numbers Show
The indictment stems from a post made nearly one year ago, according to court documents cited in news reports.
Comey served as FBI director from 2013 until his termination by President Trump in 2017, overseeing investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and Hillary Clinton's email practices.
The new charges follow what authorities describe as a third assassination attempt on Trump over the weekend at an unrelated event. That incident is not directly connected to the Comey case but has been cited by Justice Department officials in explaining their enforcement priorities regarding threats against the president.
The Bottom Line
The Comey indictment highlights tensions within both parties over the boundaries of free speech and criminal prosecution in politically charged environments. Tillis's comments suggest Republicans are not uniformly supportive of aggressive enforcement actions that may lack clear evidentiary foundations.
Comey is expected to appear in federal court for an initial appearance on these charges at a date that has not yet been announced. His previous case was dismissed, illustrating the challenges prosecutors face in building cases against high-profile defendants with extensive legal resources and public platforms.