Blanche says Comey indictment goes beyond Instagram post, faces scrutiny
Blanche insisted the Comey case reaches beyond a deleted seashell post, even as critics questioned what else could justify a felony indictment.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tried to widen the frame around the James Comey case, arguing that the prosecution was not built on a single Instagram image alone. “This is not just about a single Instagram post,” Blanche told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” as scrutiny intensified over whether prosecutors had enough evidence to support an indictment of a former FBI director.
The case centers on a now-deleted Instagram photo of seashells arranged to read “8647,” a reference that prosecutors said was interpreted as a threat against Donald Trump’s life. Trump is the 47th president, and the Justice Department said a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, charging Comey with making threats to harm the president and with transmitting threats across state lines.
Comey appeared in federal court in Virginia on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, as the case quickly became a test of how far prosecutors can stretch a social-media post into a criminal threat. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that legal experts expect the Justice Department to face significant hurdles, a sign that the government may need more than the deleted post itself to persuade a jury that the former FBI director intended a true threat.
That question has sharpened the political fight around the indictment. Blanche has said the department’s decision to pursue Comey did not mean every person who posts or displays “86 47” would face prosecution, signaling that officials see this as a fact-specific case rather than a blanket rule. Still, critics say the administration has not yet explained what conduct beyond the seashell image justifies charging Comey with a federal crime.
The indictment also landed after Comey had already faced another legal fight. That earlier, unrelated criminal case was dismissed in November 2025, adding to the argument from Democrats that the latest prosecution is part of a broader campaign against a longtime Trump antagonist. Sen. Adam Schiff and other Democrats have called the new case weak and politically motivated, deepening concerns in Washington that the Justice Department is using its power inconsistently. For Blanche, the challenge is not only proving intent, but persuading the public that the same standard would apply if the target were anyone else.
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