‘Why Is He Still Being Paid by Us?’: Kash Patel Tries to Sound Smart, But Accidentally Exposes How Incompetent He Is and Walks Straight Into the Backlash He Didn’t See Coming
Earlier this week, FBI Director Kash Patel tried to cast the criminal indictment of James Comey as proof that the bureau moves with careful precision, but the detail that caught critics off guard was his own timeline for the investigation.
In walking through the case, Patel stressed that agents spent “nine, 10,11 months” examining an ambiguous image of seashells arranged to read “8647.”
The point was to highlight the FBI’s methodical approach and “investigative prowess.” Instead, he ended up raising more questions about his own leadership, with many observers asking why something as minor as a social media post took nearly a year to investigate, especially when it was framed as a potential threat to the president.
Supporters argue that taking potential threats seriously, no matter how they appear, is part of the FBI’s core mission. Critics counter that the length and focus of the investigation suggest misplaced priorities.
“Kash Patel saying that James Comey’s seashell post has been investigated over the past 9, 10, 11 months. Meanwhile, no Epstein files. Waste of taxpayer dollars,” one commenter wrote on Threads.
View on Threads
Now, Patel’s attempt to portray a careful, by-the-book investigation has backfired, feeding a growing narrative that he is out of his depth at a time when his standing inside the administration is already under strain.
With speculation mounting that he could be the next high-level official pushed out of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, critics now see his handling of the Comey episode as a last-ditch effort to save his job.
The controversy traces back to May 2025, when Comey, the former FBI director, posted a beach photo captioned “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” showing seashells arranged as “8647.”
At the time, administration officials argued that the numbers could be read as a coded threat, citing slang in which “86” can mean removing someone, paired with Trump’s status as the 47th president. Comey later deleted the image and said he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” and he took the post down.
Still, Trump allies were outraged.
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles called for an immediate investigation, writing that if Comey broke the law, “he shouldn’t get a pass. He should be in handcuffs.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went further, declaring that Comey had called for Trump’s assassination. Other figures echoed the alarm, framing the post as a serious threat rather than an innocuous image.
Patel initially struck a measured tone, saying the FBI was coordinating with the Secret Service, which holds primary jurisdiction over threats against protected officials. Behind the scenes, though, the matter did not fade. According to Patel’s public remarks this week, it stretched into a months-long investigation that ultimately led to an indictment on two felony counts.
In explaining that outcome, Patel stressed that the Bureau treats all potential threats with equal weight, regardless of the target’s status. He described a methodical process involving career agents and prosecutors who reviewed evidence, built the case, and presented it to a grand jury.
Notably, the indictment was handed down just days after a would-be assassin tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, forcing Trump and other top officials to evacuate as gunfire erupted.
Critics believe the incident gave Trump allies an opening to revive the case against Comey.
The timing itself is raising suspicions on social media.
“Of course it took Kash 11 months to investigate freaking seashells,” another Threads user added. Some questioned why it took so long to bring charges while mocking the idea that Patel “had to travel to all the great beaches. You know, investigating and stuff.”
Others suggested that elementary school kids could have done a better job. One commenter took aim at Patel’s competence: “He was probably looking at the picture upside down.”
Adding to the noise are broader concerns already surrounding Patel, including allegations of “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” which Patel has denied and challenged in court. Questions have also surfaced over decisions like assigning a full-time security detail to his girlfriend, which the FBI says was due to credible threats.
At the same time, a pattern has emerged inside the administration: high-ranking officials being dismissed or reassigned as Trump reshapes his team ahead of key political races in November.
A senior White House official, speaking anonymously, said of Patel, “It’s only a matter of time,” pointing to the steady stream of unfavorable coverage as a major factor, according to Politico.
Against that backdrop, Patel’s handling of the Comey case carries extra weight. What might otherwise have been a routine, if unusual, investigation is now being read as a test of his leadership.
Comey and Trump have had a tense relationship since 2016, 2017, when Comey was leading an investigation into Russia’s involvement in the election. Trump later fired Comey.
Since then, Trump has treated Comey like an enemy. Comey has said Trump tried to pressure him to show loyalty and publicly clear him of wrongdoing. And before being elected, Trump vowed to get revenge on his political enemies, but staff for Trump’s former attorney general, who was reportedly forced out, say it’s been challenging to please the president.
Pam Bondi’s former chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, told CNN that finding people who were both ideologically aligned and actually capable proved nearly impossible.
“Part of the reason the work has been difficult is that you need people who are MAGA and who are really competent,” Mizelle said, noting that the pool of willing prosecutors was “very small.”