Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday and pushed back against critics who say the federal case against former FBI Director James Comey rests entirely on a deleted Instagram photo.
“This is not just about a single Instagram post,” Blanche told host Kristen Welker. “This is about a body of evidence that prosecutors collected over the series of about 11 months.”
What that evidence consists of, Blanche declined to say. When Welker pressed him for specifics, the acting AG said he wasn’t permitted to discuss the details.
Comey was indicted April 28 on charges that he threatened the life of President Donald Trump through a now-deleted social media post. The post showed seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47” with the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
Federal prosecutors interpreted the image as a call to violence. “86” is slang for eliminating or getting rid of something. Trump is the 47th president.
The indictment itself cites the Instagram post as the central piece of evidence. Comey deleted it shortly after it was published.
Blanche told NBC that intent in a case like this isn’t proven by a single item. “You prove intent with witnesses, you prove intent with documents, with materials,” he said.
Comey, 65, surrendered to authorities after the indictment and has said publicly he intends to fight the charges. His lawyers have argued the post was a harmless photograph and that prosecutors are stretching to manufacture a crime where none exists. A defense filing described the image as an innocent beach walk photo with no intent behind the numbers.
Trump has called the Instagram post evidence of “tremendous danger,” saying the image shows the kind of hostility directed at him from political opponents.
The case has drawn fierce debate over whether the DOJ is pursuing legitimate criminal charges or weaponizing the courts against a longtime Trump critic. The Hill reported that the indictment itself names no other evidence beyond the Instagram post, a point Blanche’s critics were quick to highlight Sunday after his appearance.
This is the second time Comey has been indicted under Trump-aligned Justice Department leadership. An earlier case stemming from his handling of classified FBI memos was pursued during his first term. That prosecution effort ultimately did not result in charges.
Blanche took over as acting attorney general earlier this year. He previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney during the Manhattan criminal trial.
Legal analysts note that the government faces a high bar in proving a “true threat” under federal law. Prosecutors must show the defendant knew the communication would be interpreted as a serious threat of harm, not simply that offensive or ambiguous language was used.
The Justice Department under Blanche has moved aggressively on several cases involving figures from Trump’s political past, including charging former officials tied to investigations of Trump himself.
Comey’s trial date has not been set.
