Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey is based on a broader body of evidence collected over nearly a year, pushing back on criticism that the case hinges solely on a social media post.
“This is not just about a single Instagram post,” Blanche said during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. “This is about a body of evidence that [prosecutors] collected over the series of about 11 months.”
Blanche declined to detail the additional evidence, citing legal restrictions, but said it would be presented during a public trial. “Everybody in this country will know exactly what evidence the government has against Mr. Comey,” he added.
Comey was indicted last week on charges alleging he threatened the life of President Donald Trump after posting a photo on Instagram showing seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.”
Prosecutors argue the numbers could be interpreted as a threat, with “47” referring to Trump’s presidency and “86” allegedly signaling violence.
Asked whether he personally felt threatened, Trump said, “Probably,” adding that “86” is “a mob term for kill him.”
But the interpretation has been disputed. Restaurant workers and others familiar with the phrase say it is commonly used to mean removing or canceling something, not violence.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, also expressed skepticism.
“If this whole case is based on a picture in the sand of a North Carolina beach, it again makes no sense to me,” Tillis said Sunday, adding he could not find evidence the term is widely used as a call for violence.
Blanche emphasized that the Justice Department regularly prosecutes threats against public officials and said the Comey case is consistent with those efforts.
“There are constantly men and women who choose to make threatening statements against President Trump,” he said. “Every one of those statements do not result in indictments. Of course there are facts, there are circumstances, there are investigations that have to take place.”
He added that prosecutors have charged “dozens and dozens” of individuals this year in similar cases.
Appearing separately on “Meet the Press,” Sen. Adam Schiff criticized the prosecution, arguing there is little publicly visible evidence distinguishing Comey’s case from others.
“The only facts that distinguish this case … is not any particular facts that are not visible to public,” Schiff said. “It’s the fact that James Comey is a political opponent of the president’s.”
Schiff also questioned the Justice Department’s priorities, saying its focus on the case could detract from addressing violent crime and other serious offenses.
The indictment marks the second time Comey has faced prosecution under Trump’s Justice Department. A previous case, which included charges related to alleged false statements to Congress, was dismissed after a federal judge ruled that the prosecutor who brought it had not been lawfully appointed.
Blanche said that earlier case is unrelated to the current charges, calling comparisons between them “apples to oranges.”
“The judge dismissed those cases not based on a factual finding … but because he found that the U.S. attorney was not properly appointed,” Blanche said, noting that decision did not address the underlying facts.
Comey has denied wrongdoing and is expected to contest the charges in court. A trial date has not yet been set.
Blanche said the case will ultimately be decided in open court, where prosecutors plan to present the full scope of their evidence.
