‘It’s a Stretch!’ Close Trump Ally In the House Shades James Comey Indictment

Screenshot via social media

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the House, told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that the latest indictment against ex-FBI Director James Comey is “a stretch.”

Veteran journalist Scott MacFarlane posted a clip of Nehls’s reaction to the indictment, which stems from an Instagram post from Comey that read “86 47” in seashells. Trump has repeatedly called for Comey to be prosecuted, which resulted in a previous indictment that had been dismissed by a judge.

“You can indict anybody for anything,” Nehls said as he was given a photo of Comey’s post to react to.

“What’s your opinion? Do you think that this was really a threatening message?” pressed a reporter in the clip.

“I think it’s a stretch. I think, well, is it a threatening message? I mean, what’s that? That’s not a damn zip code. What do you think that means?” Nehls pushes back.

After a quick back and forth, he added, “I am saying if somebody looks at that, and James Comey put that out there, that’s 86, right? 47. So we know what that, we know what that means. But is it criminal? Is it truly a threat? We’re encouraging people, but I tell you what, though.”

“How many times has a president ever, I mean, this is his third time, they’ve gone after President Trump,” Nehls added as another reporter pushed, “Does it seem criminal to you, sir?”

“And the rhetoric, the rhetoric has to stop. Is it criminal? If you can get a jury to convict him, if you can get a jury to convict them, we’ve, everybody, you know what, everybody went after Donald Trump and convicted him for lesser, for, I mean they had nothing. I don’t even think they have probable cause to do it. But you can’t find an honest jury in New York, you can find one here, or a judge. So I just think, listen, it’s a stretch. It’s a stretch,” concluded the Texas Republican.

Legal analysts from across the political spectrum have slammed the indictment against Comey as meritless, including Fox News contributor and conservative legal writer Andy McCarthy, who called it “absurd” and argued the Trump DOJ indictment “fabricates a crime.”

Watch the clip above.

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