Acting AG Defends Comey Indictment Beyond Seashell Photo
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says roughly 11 months of evidence was presented to a grand jury in a two-count felony case tied to an Instagram '86 47' seashell post.
Straight Arrow NewsTodd Blanche says DOJ indictment of Comey is about more than just ‘86 47’ post
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Daily BeastTrump Goon Humiliates Boss by Shrugging Off ‘Mob’ Threat
MS NOWTodd Blanche says Comey indictment is “not just about” seashells photo
Overview
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Meet the Press that the DOJ's two-count felony indictment of former FBI director James Comey rests on about 11 months of evidence presented to a grand jury.
Comey's May 15 Instagram post showing seashells arranged as "86 47" sparked the investigation and underlies one count alleging a threat against President Donald Trump.
Sen. Adam Schiff said the indictment reflects political targeting because Comey is a political opponent, while Sen. Thom Tillis and some legal experts questioned whether the photo alone justifies charges.
This is the second DOJ indictment of Comey in less than a year after a Virginia grand jury indicted him in September and a judge dismissed that earlier case in November for unlawful appointment.
Blanche declined to detail additional evidence but said a public trial will reveal the government's case, and he said career prosecutors and agents investigated the matter.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a legally tenuous and constitutionally fraught prosecution. Editorial choices emphasize skeptical legal experts (Carbone, Hessick, Niehoff) and Supreme Court precedents, foregrounding First Amendment concerns and selective-prosecution claims, while giving less weight to prosecution assertions beyond the indictment's allegation that Comey's post constituted a "serious expression of intent."