Comey's seashell post got him indicted. But experts are skeptical the government can win

Comey's seashell post got him indicted. But experts are skeptical the government can win7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKayla EpsteinGetty ImagesJames Comey testifies to Congress in 2018.Observers experienced a tingle of déjà vu this week as they watched the Department of Justice indict James Comey on charges that he threatened his political rival, President Donald Trump. That was quickly followed by a social media video posted by the former FBI director, defending himself. Then on Wednesday, Comey made the obligatory trek to a federal courthouse, appearing before a judge.A nearly identical sequence played out last fall, when the justice department brought different charges against Comey - later tossed by a judge.And much like that first case, legal experts expressed skepticism about the department's allegations and a possible conviction. They pointed to the legal thresholds prosecutors must meet, constitutional free speech protections, and Trump's public statements about Comey as potential vulnerabilities for the prosecution."It's a very weak indictment, and it doesn't seem to me that it's a chargeable case," said Evan Gotlob, partner at DarrowEverett and a former federal prosecutor. "This seems fit to get dismissed at some point."Comey surrenders over charge of threatening Trump's life in Instagram postSome lawyers predicted Comey will try to have the indictment thrown out on the grounds of "vindictive prosecution", a bid his team made in the first case. Comey faces two counts, one alleging he threatened to harm the president, the other for digitally transmitting the alleged threat.The case stems from an Instagram post Comey made last year, which depicted seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers "86 47"."47" may refer to President Donald Trump, while "86" is a slang term, often identified with the restaurant industry, which can mean to "ejec...