Blanche turns the tables on Comey indictment critics: ‘Rest assured’ case goes beyond Instagram post
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche insisted Sunday that the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey rests on more than just an "8647" Instagram picture, saying new evidence would come...
By Fox News · Fox News
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche insisted Sunday that the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey rests on more than just an "8647" Instagram picture, saying new evidence would come to light in court to support the government’s claim that Comey’s post amounted to a criminal threat against the president. Blanche provided the remarks during a "Meet the Press" interview as he was grilled about the credibility of the high-profile case and whether it was politically motivated. The charges hinge on whether prosecutors can prove the former FBI director’s intent, a key legal threshold. Blanche signaled the Department of Justice will present broader evidence in court to support the charge while rejecting claims the prosecution was driven by Trump’s past clashes with Comey. "You prove intent like you always prove intent," Blanche said. "You prove intent with witnesses. You prove intent with documents, with materials. ... This is not just about a single Instagram post. This is about a body of evidence that the grand jury collected over the series of about 11 months." The term "86" is understood as slang to get rid of someone or something, rooted in restaurant usage for an unavailable item or refused customer. Prosecutors allege that, paired with "47" — a reference to Trump as the 47th president — Comey’s post amounted to a threat. HOW JAMES COMEY'S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ Blanche noted that threatening the president was a common criminal charge. But he said the DOJ does not prosecute everyday mentions of "8647," such as paraphernalia featuring the numbers being sold on Amazon, and that other factors were in play in Comey's case. "Rest assured that the career assistant United States attorneys in North Carolina, the career FBI agents, the career Secret Service agents that investigated this case didn't just look at the Instagram post and walk away. ... So I am not permitted to get into the details of what the grand jury heard or found," Blanche said.…