Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is seemingly eager to keep his new, upgraded role—by whatever means necessary.
Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, made an effort to score points with the president by indicting his longtime foe, James Comey, for a second time over an Instagram post he shared last May of seashells on a North Carolina beach.
The acting attorney general announced the indictment during a press briefing on Tuesday, sharing that the former FBI director had been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts: making a threat against the president’s life and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
Comey’s post in question depicted a seashell formation in the sand that appeared to spell “86 47,” and was captioned: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
In slang, the number 86 can mean tossing something out or getting rid of it; it’s commonly used in restaurant kitchens to mean something was removed from the menu. Critics of Comey’s post took it to mean he thinks the president should be killed, given that he is the 47th president.
“Both of these counts carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years,” Blanche said. “So I think it’s fair to say that threatening the life of anybody is dangerous, and potentially a crime.”
Blanche, who’s filling in temporarily as the nation’s top prosecutor after Trump, 79, axed former AG Pam Bondi earlier this month for failing to bring charges against the president’s political enemies fast enough, is making sure not to repeat the same mistakes as his predecessor.
In September, the president mistakenly posted a message on Truth Social meant for Bondi, urging her to prosecute his foes.
“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,” he wrote on his social media site. “What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”
Comey, 65, responded to the indictment on Tuesday in a video shared to his Substack.
“Well, they’re back,” Comey said. “This time, about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. And this won’t be the end of it.”
“But nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go,” he continued. “But it’s really important that all of us remember this is not who we are as a country. This is not how our Department of Justice is supposed to be. And the good news is, we get closer every day to restoring those values. Keep the faith.”
The DOJ did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment on Comey’s video response.
Reached for comment, Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, told the Daily Beast in a statement: “Mr. Comey vigorously denies the charges contained in the Indictment filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina. We will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr. Comey and the First Amendment.”
Comey has been a fierce critic of Trump, who fired the then-FBI director in 2017 over his role in overseeing the Russia election interference investigation.
Comey was indicted last September after Trump’s DOJ accused him of lying to Congress over press leaks, but a federal judge dismissed the case over the unlawful appointment of Lindsey Halligan, who brought the charges, as interim U.S. attorney.
