Blanche Says Others Who Post ’86 47′ Message Won’t Be Charged Like Comey
Todd Blanche, the performing lawyer common, on Sunday sought to distinction the Justice Department’s indictment of former FBI director James B. Comey over a social media publish with different cases by which folks have shared the identical message, saying that the division had gathered further proof throughout an 11-month investigation.
Mr. Comey was indicted last week over a photograph that he posted on Instagram in May 2025 of seashells on a seaside that spelled out “86 47,” which the division characterised as a risk to the president. The cost was the second try by the Justice Department underneath President Trump to prosecute Mr. Comey and the division’s newest effort to pursue expenses towards the president’s perceived enemies.
Asked on NBC’s “Meet The Press” whether or not others who displayed the identical numbers, or purchased or bought T-shirts with the identical message, would face the identical prosecution, Mr. Blanche mentioned no.
The “86 47” message, Mr. Blanche mentioned, is “posted constantly — that phrase is used constantly.” He added, “Every one of those statements do not result in indictments.” What makes Mr. Comey’s case completely different, he argued, is different proof collected, which he mentioned he couldn’t describe.
“Of course the seashells are part of that case,” mentioned Mr. Blanche, who acknowledged that proving Mr. Comey’s intent could be essential to his prosecution. “You prove intent with witnesses; you prove intent with documents,” he mentioned, including that there was “a body of evidence” that led to Mr. Comey’s indictment. The three-page indictmentsecured on Tuesday, was targeted solely on the seashell publish.
Mr. Comey has insisted he’s harmless and can combat the costs. He has mentioned he didn’t affiliate the phrase “86” with violence, and pointed to its origins within the restaurant enterprise, the place it has for many years been used to confer with eradicating one thing from the menu or throwing out an unruly buyer.
Senator Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, appeared afterward the present and mentioned there was just one factor that distinguished Mr. Comey’s case from different examples of individuals utilizing the phrase: “the fact that James Comey is a political opponent of the president; it’s the fact that the president has called on him for prosecution; it’s the fact that Todd Blanche wants to keep his job.”
Mr. Schiff referred to as the costs towards Mr. Comey “deeply illegitimate” and mentioned he anticipated the case to be thrown out of court docket earlier than he ever will get to a jury.
