Acting AG Blanche Defends Comey Indictment as More Than Just Instagram Post

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey involves more than just an "8647" Instagram picture. He told NBC's Meet the Press that new evidence would emerge in court to back the government's claim that Comey's post constituted a criminal threat against President Donald Trump.

Blanche faced questions about the case's credibility and possible political motivations. The charges turn on whether prosecutors can establish Comey's intent. Blanche said the Department of Justice would offer wider evidence in court and dismissed suggestions that the prosecution stemmed from Trump's prior disputes with Comey.

"You prove intent like you always prove intent," Blanche said. "You prove intent with witnesses. You prove intent with documents, with materials. ... This is not just about a single Instagram post. This is about a body of evidence that the grand jury collected over the series of about 11 months."

The slang "86" means to get rid of someone or something, originating in restaurant lingo for an unavailable item or turned-away customer. Prosecutors contend that when combined with "47," a nod to Trump as the 47th president, Comey's post became a threat.

Blanche pointed out that threatening the president is a routine charge. He added that the DOJ does not pursue everyday uses of "8647," like items sold on Amazon with those numbers, and that additional elements applied in Comey's situation.

"Rest assured that the career assistant United States attorneys in North Carolina, the career FBI agents, the career Secret Service agents that investigated this case didn't just look at the Instagram post and walk away.... So I am not permitted to get into the details of what the grand jury heard or found," Blanche said. "But rest assured that it's not just the Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted."

The DOJ filed two charges against Comey last week in federal court in North Carolina. The case centers on an Instagram post from last year showing seashells on a beach, which prosecutors say amounted to a threat to harm or kill Trump.

Social media users condemned the post and accused Comey of threatening his longtime foe Trump. Comey deleted the image right away and apologized, stating he had not known "86" linked to violence.

Then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the U.S. Secret Service would probe the post. Comey met voluntarily with federal agents for an interview, but no charges followed at the time.

This marks the Justice Department's second recent action against Comey. A prior indictment for lying to Congress was dismissed on procedural grounds, and the DOJ is appealing.

Blanche addressed whether Comey faced charges because Trump urged the DOJ last fall on Truth Social to prosecute him and others, labeling them "guilty as hell" and demanding "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"

"Do the American people think that nothing was done on those cases until President Trump posted that Truth in September?" Blanche asked. "No, these are ongoing investigations."

Democrats and some Republicans have criticized the indictment as a free speech issue that fails the Supreme Court's "true threat" test. Comey's lawyer plans to seek dismissal, calling the charges selective and vindictive. DOJ officials and Trump supporters back the case and urge waiting for the evidence.

Comey's arraignment is scheduled for May 11 in Greenville.