Trump ally Joe Borelli drew a stunned laugh from CNN anchor Abby Phillip and her panel with his take on the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey for posting a photograph of seashells forming the numerical phrase “86 47.”

After the failures of revenge cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James last year, news broke on Tuesday that a grand jury in North Carolina returned an indictment against Comey over an Instagram post that the Trump DOJ is claiming constituted a threat on President Donald Trump’s life.

Legal experts from across the gamut deride the case as “weak” or even “fatally flawed.”

On Tuesday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip hosted a panel that included Borelli, Chuck Rocha, Lydia Moynihan, Kmele Foster, and Elie Honig.

Borelli elicited guffaws when he told Phillip the thing that he was “most sick” about regarding the case:

ABBY PHILLIP: And to your point, back in 2021, Jack Posobiec, who recently even traveled with cabinet officials to Ukraine, he met with Zelenskyy as part of the U.S. delegation, he tweeted, 86, 46. That would be referring to Joe Biden. And there’s also another example of 86, 46 being used in the context of saying Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have a job. Ronna McDaniel doesn’t have a job. Mitch McConnell doesn’t have a job. Why are they doing this? And how is it not a waste of taxpayer energy and funds to be pursuing this kind of case against James Comey?

JOE BORELLI: Well, let’s start with two things. The original case against him wasn’t dismissed on any merits. It was dismissed because the prosecutor was appointed improperly. So, we didn’t hear any evidence in that case beyond what that indictment said. There wasn’t an opportunity for discovery. There wasn’t evidence presented at trial. There wasn’t a jury verdict. All we had in that case was an indictment.

Everything Elie said is true. The fact remains though that a jury of bona fide Americans, you know, formed and issued a true bill against Jim Comey for violating a specific statute, okay? I wasn’t there. I mean, you have the indictment. I don’t think you were at the trial. I don’t think you were part of James Comey’s questioning. I don’t think you were part of any evidence they gathered, so we don’t know what else they might have that might corroborate the intent, the willful intent that’s part of the statute.

PHILLIP: What do you think, Joe?

BORELLI: I– I think–

PHILLIP: I mean, you just recited a lot of things, but what do you think is the merit — are the merits of a charge like this on a principled level? Because, I mean, I think there are a couple of issues here. I mean, there are some legal issues. But then there’s also just basic free speech issues at play here. Do you think that this is an appropriate use of the government’s —

BORELLI: Well, this is a statute that’s constituted on the books. It’s been charged on other people. So, it’s not a free speech issue in and of itself.

PHILLIP: Has it been charged over someone posting an Instagram post?

BORELLI: Well, I mean, Instagram has been around for, what, 15 years. I have no idea. Regardless, the point I’m trying to make and the general thing is the thing I’m most sick about is the Jim Comey holier than now line of crap.

PHILLIP: That’s the thing you’re most sick about?

(LAUGHTER)

BORELLI: No, it’s just so annoying. This is a guy who makes these videos. I’m so innocent. I’ve never done anything wrong.

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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