Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for the second time last Tuesday. This latest indictment concerns his infamous Instagram post from May 2025, which featured seashells arranged on the beach to spell out “86 47.” However, as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche informed Kristen Welker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, the Instagram post is not the only issue at hand.
Blanche made it crystal clear that the case with Comey goes beyond just the photo:
.@DAGToddBlanche: The career Assistant U.S. 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…it's not just an Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted. pic.twitter.com/hBoXkMFuFZ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 3, 2026
WELKER: Let’s move on to former FBI Director James Comey. A grand jury has indicted the former FBI director for this Instagram post. I wanna put it up; I think a lot of folks have seen at this point: 8647 in seashells, which the indictment says, quote, “a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.”
How does that image of seashells amount to a serious threat against the president’s life?
It comes in mens and womens and lets your friends know you're happy to express your views and don't care what anyone thinks! Cheers!
BLANCHE: Well, every case requires an investigation, and what you just showed is one part of that investigation. What you just showed is the Instagram post.
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.
That’s why you saw an indictment last week, notwithstanding the fact that it was last May that the post was made. So I am not permitted to get into details of what the grand jury heard or found, as you know, but rest assured that it’s not just the Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted.
As Rush Limbaugh used to say, “For those of you in Rio Linda (California),” what Blanche is saying is that a lot of very experienced Feds looked at this case and feel like there’s a lot more to it, meaning Comey could be in some serious trouble.
And frankly, I’m fine with that. People need to pay for what they did to President Trump ahead of his first term (and since) if there was lawbreaking involved.
