WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� was indicted again Tuesday, this time over of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat against President Donald Trump.
The criminal case is and is part of the Trump administration Justice Department’s relentless effort to prosecute political opponents of the Republican president. The seashells photo was posted nearly a year ago, but the indictment was secured at a time when , a Trump loyalist who previously served as his personal lawyer, aims to prove to the president that he is the right person to hold the job permanently.
The fact that the Justice Department pursued a new case months after could expose the government to claims of a vindictive prosecution and to arguments that it is going out of its way to target Comey, who as FBI director had overseen the early months of an investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of that year鈥檚 election.
Comey was months into the president鈥檚 first term as that investigation was underway, and they have openly feuded ever since.
The prosecution arises from a May post on Instagram in which Comey shared a photo of seashells he saw on a walk in the arrangement of 鈥�86 47.鈥� He has said he assumed that the numbers reflected a political message, not a call to violence. Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, writing: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize some folks associate those numbers with violence鈥� and 鈥淚 oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.鈥�
Nonetheless, Comey was after Trump administration officials asserted that he was advocating the assassination of Trump, the 47th president.
The case was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the state where Comey found the seashells.
鈥淲ell, they鈥檙e back 鈥� this time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago, and this won鈥檛 be the end of it,鈥� Comey said in a video statement Tuesday. 鈥淏ut nothing has changed with me. I鈥檓 still innocent, I鈥檓 still not afraid and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So let鈥檚 go.鈥�
The two-count indictment charges Comey with 鈥渒nowingly and willfully鈥� making a threat to 鈥渢ake the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon” Trump and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. It does not provide evidence that Comey knowingly threatened Trump, especially since Comey has said the opposite, but suggested a 鈥渞easonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret鈥� the message as a threat.
At a news conference Tuesday, Blanche refused to elaborate on any evidence of intent the government has but said: 鈥淗ow do you prove intent in any case? You prove intent with witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself to the extent it’s appropriate. And that’s how we’ll prove intent in this case.鈥�
And in an effort to rebut claims that Comey was being selectively prosecuted, Blanche contended the case against the former FBI director was similar to other threats cases the department routinely brings against the lesser known.
鈥淲hile this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute,鈥� Blanche said.
Comey’s legal team said in a statement that they 鈥渨ill contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr. Comey and the First Amendment.鈥� They said he 鈥渧igorously denies鈥� the charges.
What 86 means
Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says meaning 鈥渢o throw out,鈥� 鈥渢o get rid of鈥� or 鈥渢o refuse service to.鈥� It notes: 鈥淎mong the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of 鈥榯o kill.鈥� We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.鈥�
Trump, in a Fox 草莓传媒 Channel interview in May, accused Comey of knowing 鈥渆xactly what that meant.”
鈥淎 child knows what that meant,鈥� Trump said. “If you鈥檙e the FBI director and you don鈥檛 know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.鈥�
Comey’s first indictment
The former FBI director was indicted in September on charges he lied to Congress in 2020 about whether he had authorized information about an investigation to be provided to a journalist. He denied any wrongdoing. The case was dismissed after a judge concluded the prosecutor who brought the indictment was .
Comey was the FBI director when Trump took office in 2017, having been appointed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and serving before that as a senior Justice Department official in President George W. Bush鈥檚 Republican administration.
But the relationship was strained from the start, including after Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private dinner to pledge his personal loyalty to the president — an overture that so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.
amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump鈥檚 campaign. That inquiry, later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller, found that while Russia interfered in the 2016 election and the Trump team welcomed the help, there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal collaboration.
Other politically charged prosecutions
Blanche was elevated earlier this month from deputy attorney general to acting attorney general, , who had frustrated Trump with the department’s struggles to build successful criminal cases against his adversaries.
Blanche since then has moved quickly to accelerate politically charged prosecutions, including a case last week against , which is accused by the Justice Department of misleading donors by using their money to pay informants who served as leaders in the hate groups the organization was founded to fight. The group has denied any wrongdoing.
Comey is among many Trump foes to face scrutiny over the last year.
The Justice Department, for instance, is also pursuing a criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan, another key figure in the Russia investigation — one of Trump鈥檚 chief grievances and a saga he and his supporters have long sought retaliation for. Brennan has denied doing anything wrong.
CNN was the first to report the second indictment against Comey.
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