Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland on Tuesday lambasted the Justice Department's latest indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, calling the charges “surreal and absurd” and suggesting they represent a clear case of political score-settling under President Donald Trump.
The indictment, announced the same day, stems from a social media post Comey made last May while vacationing in North Carolina. The image showed seashells arranged on a beach to spell out “86-47”—a combination the DOJ now claims a reasonable observer would interpret as a threat to harm the president. The number “86” is slang for discarding or eliminating something, and the DOJ argued the post was a veiled call for assassination.
Speaking on MSNBC's “All In with Chris Hayes,” Raskin questioned the timing and logic of the charges. “It’s odd for somebody to threaten the life of the president and for nobody to notice for half a year,” he said, pointing out that the photo was posted months ago and only now drew legal action. He argued the prosecution has little to do with justice and everything to do with Trump's personal grievances.
“I think every reasonable person left in America understands that this is not an act of law enforcement and justice,” Raskin said. “This is an act of political vendetta, and the Department of Justice has been turned into an instrument of political revenge against President Trump’s perceived foes.”
The Maryland lawmaker's comments echo broader concerns among Democrats that Trump is using federal prosecutorial power to target his enemies. Raskin noted that the indictment will drain Comey’s time and money, calling it a deliberate distraction. “Occupying other people’s time and space, that’s all he cares about,” Raskin said of Trump, contrasting the focus on Comey with the president’s lack of attention to issues like healthcare costs, gas prices, or the conflict in Iran.
The charges come just days after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner—an event Trump attended for the first time since his first term. A 31-year-old California man, Cole Allen, has been charged in connection with an assassination attempt at that dinner, adding a layer of tension to the political landscape. Raskin has called for full transparency in the investigation into that incident, while Trump blamed the shooting on anti-Christian hatred.
Comey, who served as FBI director under President Barack Obama before being fired by Trump in 2017, has denied any wrongdoing. In a brief video posted to his Substack account Tuesday, he declared his innocence and insisted the seashell post was not a threat. He later explained that he saw the numbers as a political message, not a violent one, and removed the photo after realizing it could be misinterpreted.
Legal analysts have raised free speech concerns. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley warned that the indictment sets a dangerous precedent by criminalizing ambiguous online speech. Meanwhile, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe dismissed the charges as a Justice Department misstep and a clear act of retribution by Trump.
Raskin’s sharp critique underscores the deepening partisan divide over the DOJ’s independence. He argued that Trump’s focus on Comey reveals a leader more interested in personal feuds than governing. “It’s not like he’s got some program for America he’s working on,” Raskin said. “He’s focused on Mr. Comey and what happened at the beach nine months ago.”
