The Memo: Thin case for Comey’s prosecution stirs unease even among some in GOP

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey over a photograph of seashells is stirring unease even among some in the GOP — and sparking outrage among Democrats and liberals.

The most vehement critics object to what they see as the latest in a long line of attempts by the president to use the DOJ to go after his perceived adversaries.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told MS NOW’s Chris Hayes on Tuesday evening that the charges against Comey “are just surreal and absurd.”

“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,” Raskin said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday: “This administration has clearly dissolved the independence of the Department of Justice, and they are turning it into an arm of political retribution.”

The administration pushes back against such arguments.

In an interview with Major Garrett of CBS News, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche denied that the pursuit of an indictment against Comey had been motivated or influenced by the president. 

“Absolutely, positively not,” Blanche said, adding, “This is something that has been investigated for nearly a year now, and the results of that investigation is that a grand jury returned an indictment.”

But there are two problems, one centered on the political context and the other specific to the case.

Firstly, Trump’s enmity toward Comey is long-standing and crystal clear — a fact which makes it plausible that the former FBI director could claim he is the victim of vindictive prosecution.

A search of an online database of the president’s posts, both on Truth Social and the social platform X, turns up........

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