Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche has defended the criminal charges brought against former FBI director James Comey, insisting the case is not solely based on an Instagram post from last year. The Department of Justice indicted Comey on two felony counts last week in connection with a picture he shared on social media showing seashells arranged to read '86 47', which some interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Blanche said: 'Rest assured that it’s not just the Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted.' He argued that intent would be proven through witnesses, documents and other materials, but declined to provide further details, stating the evidence would be revealed at a public trial.
The charges have been met with scepticism from both Democratic and Republican figures. Republican senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told CNN that if the entire case rests on a picture in the sand, 'it makes no sense to me' and urged the justice department to offer additional evidence. Democratic senator Adam Schiff, himself a target of Trump, described the case as 'the weakest I have ever seen' and predicted it would be dismissed before reaching a jury.
Comey deleted the post and apologised, saying he was unaware of the meaning and condemning violence. He has pleaded not guilty. Legal experts, including some conservative allies, view the prosecution as a politically motivated move against a Trump opponent, particularly after a previous case against Comey was dismissed last year.
Questions have also been raised about the handling of the case. Bloomberg Law reported that experienced prosecutors withdrew from the investigation earlier. The current lead prosecutor, W Ellis Boyle, is a former New Jersey city councilman with limited prosecutorial experience, primarily in Medicaid fraud cases. He now serves as acting US attorney for the eastern district of North Carolina.
