politics
Trump’s Acting AG Defends Indictment of James Comey Over ‘86 47’ Seashell Photo
Todd Blanche defended the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram post featuring seashells arranged as "86 47." Blanche said an 11-month investigation produced evidence beyond the May 2025 image. Former President Barack Obama warned against politicization of the justice system in a Tuesday interview.
May 6, 4:30 PM·3m read3 sources
IN
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche refuted former President Barack Obama’s concerns that the Justice Department is targeting President Donald Trump’s critics. Blanche told CBS News on Wednesday that allegations the Justice Department is seeking retribution are simply false.
Post by @Independent on X
He sat down for an exclusive interview with CBS News immigration correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez. Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, addressed Obama’s remarks from an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that aired Tuesday night.
Obama told Stephen Colbert that the White House shouldn't be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants to prosecute.
Obama warned that America can't overcome the politicization of our justice system. The Justice Department announced late last month that a federal grand jury in North Carolina had indicted former FBI Director James Comey. The indictment charges Comey with violating 18 USC 871 by knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States.
It further charges that Comey publicly posted a photograph on Instagram that depicted seashells arranged in a pattern making out 86 47, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.
The other count in the Comey indictment is based on 18 USC 875, which makes it a felony to transmit an interstate communication that contains any threat to injure the person of another. An 11-month investigation produced a body of evidence that supports the federal indictment against James Comey.
