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Letter: The nonsensical indictment against James Comey should be 86’d

The Albert Bryan Federal Courthouse is seen as former FBI Director James Comey makes an appearance following his indictment, Wednesday, April 29, 2026 in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

I am 72 years old. I grew up in Ohio and Utah. I’ve lived in several states. When I was in junior high, my parents 86’d a kid from our house because they thought he’d get me in trouble. Growing up, I was in some clubs, like the Boy Scouts, that might 86 members who consistently refused to follow the rules. And I’ve been in many bars that 86’d people who got too drunk or broke things or started fights. In every case where I heard of someone being 86’d, it meant “to be kicked out or banned.” I’ve never, not once, heard it mean “to kill.”

Yet now, the Department of Justice has ridiculously chosen to indict James Comey, a former head of the FBI, for posting a picture of seashells spelling out “8647” as “threatening to kill the president.” As if a former law enforcement officer wouldn’t know much better ways to threaten someone. And the Republican Party appears to support this petty, vindictive attack.

Now I to have wonder when the Secret Service will be at my door to arrest me — for the “8647” sticker on my Yeti — or my friend — who has a “8647” bumper sticker on his pickup truck — or the 80-year-old Mormon couple at our gym who not only own, but sometimes wear, their “8647” T-shirts. (Foolishly, like Comey, we all thought it meant “Impeach Trump.”)

Meanwhile the same Department of Justice has not indicted a single one of the many pedophiles who had sex with hundreds of underage girls still kept secret in the redacted Epstein files. Are there no Republicans in Congress who have the backbone to stop this nonsense?

Donald Carper, Clearfield

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