Fox News Analyst Andy McCarthy Slams Trump’s ‘Absurd’ Comey Indictment as Legal Farce

Conservative media figures, including a Fox News analyst, have dismissed the Trump administration’s latest legal maneuver against former FBI Director James Comey as politically motivated and legally baseless.

In a National Review op-ed published on Tuesday, Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy condemned the Department of Justice’s second indictment of Comey, calling it “even more absurd than the previous indictment.”

Comey’s Alleged Offense: A Beachside Shell Arrangement

Comey’s supposed crime? Posting a photo on social media of seashells arranged on a North Carolina beach to spell “8647.” He claimed he discovered the shells already arranged during a walk and assumed it was a political message. Critics, however, suggested the arrangement was a coded call to “86,” or kill, the 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump.

Comey removed the post amid backlash and publicly stated he opposes violence and had no intention of threatening the president. He also cooperated with the Secret Service by submitting to interviews, which later led to the dismissal of what McCarthy described as an unfounded criminal investigation.

“There was not a threat of violence against the president, much less an unambiguous call for his assassination,” McCarthy wrote. “Nor would it be remotely possible, on the known evidence, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Comey intended violence.”

McCarthy Labels Indictment a “Farce” in Trump’s “Lawfare” Campaign

McCarthy argued that the indictment is part of a broader effort by Trump to use the legal system against political opponents. “This farce, then, is nothing more than a continuation of Trump’s lawfare campaign against a political enemy,” he wrote. “It is inconceivable that Comey could be convicted of a crime in these circumstances, but the president’s minions are putting him through the anxiety, expense, and stigma of the judicial process.”

Legal Experts Question the Validity of the Charges

The indictment, approved by a grand jury, includes charges of making a threat against the president and transmitting it in interstate commerce, according to court documents. A former Department of Justice official told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the case “might be the worst case DOJ has filed in my lifetime.”