11 months of evidence backs the Comey case and Blanche says the '86-47' post is just one piece

WASHINGTON, DC: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche moved to shut down growing criticism of the Justice Department’s case against former FBI Director James Comey on Sunday, May 3, insisting the indictment was not built around one viral Instagram image.

With questions mounting over whether Comey’s '86 47' seashell post alone could justify criminal charges, Blanche said investigators spent nearly a year building the case before it ever reached a grand jury.

Todd Blanche claims strong evidence against James Comey

Speaking on 'Meet the Press', Blanche made it clear that the social media image may be what the public saw, but according to him, it was only one piece of a much larger case.

“What you just showed is one part of that investigation,” Blanche said, referring to the Instagram post at the center of the controversy.

He explained that career prosecutors, FBI agents, and Secret Service investigators continued examining the matter for roughly 11 months, gathering witness accounts, documents, and other materials before presenting the case to a grand jury.

Blanche argued that proving intent in a threat case requires much more than a single online post and said prosecutors are prepared to prove every element of the charge in court.

He also pushed back on suggestions that the case is politically driven, stressing that the indictment ultimately came from a grand jury, not from him personally or from the Department of Justice leadership.

He asserted that he was not allowed to get into the details of the evidence against James Comey, but assured that it will be out in the open once the trial begins.

“There are constantly men and women who choose to make threatening statements against President Trump. Every one of those statements does not result in indictments, of course. There are facts, there are circumstances, there are investigations that have to take place. So this isn't a new charge we're bringing,” he said.

James Comey claims innocence

Comey was indicted last week over an Instagram image showing seashells arranged to read “86 47,” a phrase that sparked fierce backlash from allies of President Donald Trump, who interpreted it as a threat to the president's life.

Trump later said he “probably” believed the post endangered him, while critics questioned whether the phrase itself carries an inherently violent meaning.

Restaurant workers and even some Republican lawmakers have publicly argued that “86” is commonly used in everyday slang to mean removing or getting rid of something, not killing.

Comey has denied any violent intent and removed the post after the backlash.

The case now heads to federal court, where prosecutors will be required to prove that the former FBI director knowingly intended to make a threat.