Summary of James Comey Indicted, Again

Overview of James Comey Indicted, Again by The Dispatch

This episode centers on two big themes: the rise of populism inside the Democratic Party and the Justice Department’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to read “86-47.” The panel argues that left-wing populism is gaining real momentum in Democratic primaries, while Trump-era retribution politics are pushing the country toward more dangerous norms around law, prosecutorial power, and political revenge.

Democratic Populism and the Janet Mills / Graham Platner Race

The conversation opens with Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropping out of the Democratic Senate primary after being outpaced by progressive challenger Graham Platner.

Key points

• Mills’ exit is a warning sign for Democratic establishment politics.

  • She was recruited with the expectation that national Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, could back a stronger incumbent-style candidate against Susan Collins.
  • Instead, Platner has captured the energy of the race and the Democratic base.

• The panel sees this as part of a broader left-populist wave.

  • Similar dynamics are emerging around figures like:
    • Zohran Mamdani in New York
    • Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan
    • Francesca Hong in Wisconsin

• Populist left candidates are winning by offering “big” policy ideas.

  • Medicare for All
  • Wealth taxes
  • Universal/free public benefits
  • Aggressive tax increases on the affluent

Takeaway

The panel argues that Democrats are increasingly being pulled leftward by candidates who are more online, more ideologically explicit, and more emotionally resonant with activist primary voters than traditional “experience” candidates.

Is Left Populism Different From Right Populism?

A major part of the discussion explores whether left populism and right populism are the same phenomenon or fundamentally different.

The panel’s argument

• Right-wing populism under Trump has often been more non-ideological.

  • Trump is portrayed as pragmatic, ad hoc, and primarily power-seeking.
  • Many supporters back Trump himself more than a consistent ideological program.

• Left-wing populism is more explicitly ideological.

  • It comes from organized networks like the DSA and online activist ecosystems.
  • It often has clearer policy goals, even if panelists think those goals are unrealistic or harmful.

• But both sides are ultimately driven by power.

  • The panel argues that both movements are tools to win elections and consolidate influence.
  • Ideology often follows power rather than the other way around.

Important nuance

Jonah Goldberg and others push back on the idea that establishment figures are “moderates” in any real ideological sense:

• Many party leaders are quite ideological.
• They are called “centrists” largely because they have to govern, compromise, and manage coalitions.

Why Left Populism Is Rising Now

The panel offers a sociological explanation for the rise of left populism.

Their diagnosis

• The modern left-populist coalition is often:

  • highly educated
  • young and politically online
  • debt-burdened
  • status-anxious
  • heavily tied to public-sector unions and professional classes

• The movement grew out of the Netroots era:

  • Howard Dean-style online activism
  • comment-section politics
  • a parallel Democratic ecosystem that now shapes the party

Core insight

The panel says left populism is not the old-school populism of working-class farmers or industrial laborers. Instead, it looks more like an educated, digitally mobilized entitlement movement—closer in some ways to French-style protest politics than to classic American populism.

The Problem With “Populism” as a Category

Jonah Goldberg argues that populism itself is often a misleading frame.

His view

• Populists claim to speak for “the people,” but they usually speak for only a subset.
• The label “the people” is always contested and politically loaded.
• Both right and left populists often treat their own coalition as the authentic public and everyone else as elites or fake Americans.

Bottom line

The panel suggests that populism is less a coherent ideology than a political strategy that claims moral legitimacy by saying: we are the real people.

The Comey Indictment and Politics of Retribution

The episode’s second major topic is the indictment of James Comey over the “86-47” Instagram post.

The case against Comey

• The indictment alleges that Comey knowingly threatened the president by posting an image of seashells arranged as “86-47.”
• The panel strongly argues this is not a serious legal case.

Why they think it’s weak

• “86” commonly means:
  • to remove someone
  • to cut someone off
  • to eject them
  • not necessarily to kill them
• The First Amendment and prior Supreme Court precedent make the threat theory highly suspect.
• The prosecutor assigned to the case was newly sworn in, which the panel sees as evidence the goal is not a strong conviction but a political message.

What this indictment really is

The panel says this is a press-release prosecution:

• designed for optics
• intended to intimidate critics
• meant to signal retaliation rather than pursue justice

Why This Matters: Precedent and Institutional Decay

The discussion broadens into a warning about the normalization of abuse of power.

Main concern

• If the next administration repeats these tactics, they may become a durable norm.
• That would badly damage:
  • the DOJ’s legitimacy
  • free speech
  • public trust in law enforcement
  • the constitutional balance between branches

Important distinction

The panel draws a line between:

• prosecuting real crimes
• and using criminal law as a political weapon

They argue the danger is that once a party convinces itself that “anything against Trump is justified,” it loses the ability to distinguish actual wrongdoing from political revenge.

Impeachment, Pardons, and Broken Guardrails

The conversation also turns to the broader failure of constitutional checks.

Key points

• Impeachment has become highly politicized and almost performative.
• Pardons and prosecutorial discretion are increasingly seen as partisan tools.
• Congress has repeatedly failed to assert itself against executive overreach.

Jonah’s point

Impeachment should be understood as a political firing mechanism, not a criminal trial. Treating it like a court case has weakened its constitutional purpose.

“86” Explained: The Episode’s Not Worth Your Time Segment

The panel ends with a more lighthearted but still pointed discussion of the phrase “86.”

Their conclusion

• In ordinary usage, 86 means to remove, reject, or throw out someone.
• The panel rejects the DOJ’s implication that the term inherently means murder.
• They also note that even if someone else interpreted it that way, Comey’s post itself does not amount to a threat.

Personal anecdote

The hosts share memories of favorite bars and regular spots where bartenders knew their order:

• Megan: Koch’s Deli in Philadelphia, roast beef on rye
• Sarah: childhood soda shop in Richmond, Texas, grilled cheese
• Jonah: Cannons in New York and Toledo Lounge in D.C.
• Steve also reminisces about Chumley’s in Manhattan

Key Takeaways

• Democratic left populism is real and growing, especially in primaries.
• Traditional establishment candidates are struggling to compete with insurgent progressive figures.
• Trump-era populism on the right has been more power-driven than ideologically coherent.
• The Comey indictment is widely viewed by the panel as a political stunt, not a serious legal case.
• The bigger threat is normalization: if future administrations imitate these tactics, constitutional and legal norms could be permanently weakened.