James Comey backs judicial system as '86 47' seashell case continues
WASHINGTON, DC: Former FBI Director James Comey said on Sunday that he has “complete faith” in the American judicial system as he continues to fight federal charges connected to a social media post that prosecutors allege threatened President Donald Trump.
Speaking during an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Comey described the courts as the last fully functioning pillar of American governance amid growing political polarization.
“I have complete faith in our judicial system. It’s the genius of our founders,” Comey said. “It’s frankly the only leg of our three-legged stool that is still standing in the US government, but it’s standing tall and straight. It is the guardian of the rule of law, and I believe in it.”
The remarks come as Comey faces an ongoing federal case stemming from a 2025 Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.”
Prosecutors argue post carried violent meaning
Federal prosecutors and Trump administration officials claim the phrase amounted to a threat against the president.
The Justice Department argues that “86” is widely understood in criminal slang to mean “to kill” or “to eliminate.” Trump himself reinforced that interpretation during remarks in the Oval Office last month.
“Well, if anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86, you know what 86, it’s a mob term for kill him,” Trump told reporters.
The administration later moved forward with an indictment accusing Comey of threatening the life of the president.
However, critics of the case, including restaurant and hospitality workers, said the phrase “86 it” is commonly used in restaurants to mean removing an item, canceling an order or discarding something, without any violent implication.
Comey avoids discussing evidence
During Sunday’s interview, Comey declined to address specific allegations in the case, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
“He ought not to be talking about it, I can’t talk about it,” Comey said in reference to public comments made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Earlier this month, Blanche said the prosecution was based on more than just the Instagram image.
“This is not just about a single Instagram post,” Blanche said during a previous Meet the Press appearance. “This is about a body of evidence that prosecutors collected over the series of about 11 months.”
Blanche added that the evidence had been presented to a grand jury but said he could not publicly disclose further details.
Former FBI chief accuses Trump of retaliation
Comey has repeatedly argued that the legal actions against him are politically motivated and part of a broader campaign of retaliation by Trump against critics and political opponents.
In recent interviews, the former FBI director accused the president of using the Justice Department as a tool for personal revenge.
“Donald Trump has a bottomless desire to gain revenge against those who criticized him,” Comey said in a recent appearance on MS NOW.
“I’m not gonna be quiet; I’m going to continue to speak about what I believe.”
Comey also referenced previous failed prosecutions involving prominent Trump critics, including Adam Schiff and Mark Kelly.
A separate indictment involving Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James was dismissed last year after a judge ruled that the prosecutor handling the matter had been improperly appointed. On Sunday, Comey described that earlier case as an example of political payback.
“We made a motion to have it dismissed as a vindictive prosecution,” he said.
“The president of the United States cannot use the Justice Department to target people because he wants to retaliate against them. We just can’t operate as a republic if that happens.”
