'Bone up on the rules': Comey clashes with acting AG Blanche as seashell death threat case escalates

WASHINGTON, DC: Former FBI Director James Comey fired back at the Department of Justice on Sunday, May 17, aggressively challenging the legal competence of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 

Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Comey urged the nation's chief law enforcement official to "bone up on the rules" after Blanche publicly detailed elements of an ongoing federal investigation into the former bureau chief.

The dramatic public clash marks a boiling point in the administration's multi-year effort to criminally prosecute Comey, a prominent political adversary since his high-profile firing in 2017. 

The current legal warfare centers on an unprecedented grand jury indictment charging Comey with transmitting threats against the president’s life.

The evidence stems entirely from an Instagram photo Comey uploaded showing seashells arranged on a beach to spell out the numbers "86 47," a common slang term meaning to eject or get rid of the 47th president.

This current indictment follows a separate 2020 DOJ prosecution for alleged false statements to the Senate, which completely collapsed last November after a federal judge threw out the case, ruling that prosecutor Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

Grand jury secures dual political indictment

Blanche, who took control of the Justice Department in April following the sudden removal of Pam Bondi, previously attempted to legitimize the threat charges during an exclusive network interview.

The acting attorney general insisted that federal authorities possess a broad "body of evidence" collected by a grand jury over 11 months, claiming the case spans far beyond a singular social media upload.

Comey forcefully rejected that justification on Sunday, asserting that Blanche violated strict federal court protocols by openly discussing an active, non-adjudicated criminal matter on television.

"I don’t talk about the case because the federal court rules require you not to. I would urge the acting attorney general to bone up on the rules," Comey told host Kristen Welker.

Declining to comment further on the grand jury's specific maneuvers to avoid violating gag rules himself, the former director added, "He ought not to be talking about it. I can’t talk about it. That’s why we have a judicial process in a courtroom."

James Comey defends social media post

Pressed by Welker on whether a former head of the nation's top law enforcement agency should maintain absolute political neutrality online, Comey staunchly defended his digital presence as protected speech.

He explained that the controversial photo was taken in the fall of 2024 after he spotted a beachside shell arrangement spelling out an endorsement for Kamala Harris.

Comey noted that he merely documented the display with a harmless, modern pop-culture caption reading, "Ariel understands the assignment," a direct reference to the Disney animated film 'The Little Mermaid'.

Emphasizing his status as a private citizen who handles his personal accounts like any "awkward, nerdy dad," Comey slammed the federal charges as entirely retaliatory and politically motivated.

While Trump allies have portrayed the "86 47" configuration as a violent incitement, Comey's defense team has prepared dismissal motions arguing that the administration is utilizing thin, non-violent political expressions to execute a vindictive campaign against critics.