Overview
- The Justice Department under Blanche charged former FBI director James Comey over a 2025 Instagram post that read “86 47,” which prosecutors say signaled a threat to kill the president.
- Comey deleted the post and said he did not know the phrase could imply violence, noting that “86” is also slang for refusing service or getting rid of something.
- Blanche said he received no orders from President Trump and said the decision to prosecute followed a year-long investigation.
- Vanita Gupta, a former senior DOJ official, said the department now functions like the president’s personal law firm, arguing the Comey case shows political targeting.
- Former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade pointed to the separate DOJ case against the Southern Poverty Law Center and said Blanche used claims about “manufactured racism” that echo white nationalist rhetoric.