Summary
Overview
Dan Pfeiffer and Alex Wagner discuss Trump's continued focus on personal vendettas against figures like Jim Comey and Jimmy Kimmel, Pete Hegseth's contentious testimony defending the Iran war, a major Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, and Maine Governor Janet Mills dropping her Senate bid. Tommy Vietor interviews Iowa Senate candidate Zach Walls about his campaign and political vision.
Trump's Vendetta Tour: The Jim Comey Seashell Indictment
Trump's Department of Justice secured a bizarre indictment against former FBI Director Jim Comey for allegedly threatening Trump with an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged in the pattern "86-47." The indictment claims this constitutes a serious threat based on the mob term "86" meaning to kill someone. Legal experts, including Alex Wagner, express confidence the case will be dismissed, noting that the bar for proving threats against the president is extremely high and comparing seashells to evidence in an indictment undermines any credibility. This follows a previous failed indictment against Comey that was thrown out due to the prosecutor being unlawfully appointed.
- The FBI indicted Jim Comey for posting seashells arranged as '86-47' on Instagram, claiming it was a threat against Trump using mob terminology
- Trump claimed '86' is a mob term for killing someone, though in restaurants it simply means to hold an item
- A previous indictment against Comey was dismissed because prosecutor Lindsay Halligan was unlawfully appointed
- Comey claims he didn't arrange the seashells but merely photographed them on the beach
- The indictment is so brief it fits on one page and includes the word 'seashells' as evidence
" If you have the word seashells in your indictment, you're already losing. "
" The bar here is really high. Like there are previous cases that have been adjudicated at like very high levels of our judicial system that give a lot of leeway for free speech... reckless disregard and beachcombing don't go together. "
" These people are so utterly unserious that I would say everybody gird your loins because there's going to be more of this bullshit coming down the pike for as long as Trump's controlling the DOJ. "
Trump Targets Jimmy Kimmel and ABC Through FCC
Following Jimmy Kimmel's joke about Melania being an "expectant widow," the White House launched a coordinated attack including an FCC investigation into ABC's broadcast licenses under the guise of an anti-DEI review. While the threat is real and could impose costs on Disney, the response has been different this time with the National Association of Broadcasters pushing back and suggesting corporate America is learning that capitulating to Trump's demands carries its own risks. The chilling effect remains a concern for smaller networks without ABC's resources to fight back.
- The FCC launched an early review of all ABC broadcast licenses following Kimmel's joke, claiming it's part of an anti-DEI investigation
- The White House Communication Director called Kimmel a 'shit human being' and demanded ABC fire him immediately
- The National Association of Broadcasters released a statement defending ABC, saying any action against one network affects all broadcasters
- Smaller networks without ABC's resources may self-censor due to fear of government retaliation
" What we don't know about are the stories and the jokes that don't happen because people are afraid of the response. And that is ultimately what Brendan Carr is trying to do here. "
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