{"id":2598214,"date":"2026-05-03T11:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T15:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blanche-says-it-was-not-just-comeys-86-47-seashell-post-that-led-to-indictment\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T11:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T15:44:08","slug":"blanche-says-it-was-not-just-comeys-86-47-seashell-post-that-led-to-indictment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blanche-says-it-was-not-just-comeys-86-47-seashell-post-that-led-to-indictment\/","title":{"rendered":"Blanche says it was &#8216;not just&#8217; Comey&#8217;s &#8217;86 47&#8242; seashell post that led to indictment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fblanche-says-it-was-not-just-comeys-86-47-seashell-post-that-led-to-indictment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598214&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said james Comey\u2019s second indictment involved far more than his \u201c86 47\u201d seashell Instagram post.He noted that investigators-career prosecutors and agents in multiple agencies-reviewed additional facts during an 11-month examination before the indictment was returned, and that the post is only one part of the overall evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche also argued against the idea that people should be indicted simply for using or buying merchandise featuring \u201c86 47,\u201d emphasizing that not every alleged threatening statement leads to charges.He added that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rejects-appeal-from-oil-giants-in-honolulu-climate-case\/\" title=\"Supreme Court rejects appeal from oil giants in Honolulu climate case\">case reflects broader<\/a>, ongoing DOJ efforts to prosecute threats against President Donald Trump and others, and acknowledged the seashells were relevant, but insisted the indictment was based on the full investigative record.<\/p>\n<p>The article further notes that DOJ previously indicted Comey over <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >alleged press-leak related claims<\/a>, but those earlier charges were dismissed due to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-fcc-nominee-withdraws-following-manchin-opposition-announcement\/\" title=\"Biden FCC Nominee Withdraws Following Manchin Opposition Announcement\">legal issue involving<\/a> whether an interim U.S. attorney was serving lawfully.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"20883\">Todd Blanche<\/a> said there was more to the investigation that led to former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"516\">FBI<\/a> Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comey\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"169\">James Comey\u2019s<\/a> indictment than just his \u201c86 47\u201d seashell social media post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRest assured that the career assistant United States attorneys in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"552\">North Carolina<\/a>, the career FBI agents, the career Secret Service agents that investigated this case didn\u2019t just look at the Instagram post to walk away,\u201d Blanche said.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4551720\/rubio-old-roommate-convicted-covertly-lobbying-maduro-venezuela\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rubio\u2019s old roommate convicted of covertly lobbying for Maduro\u2019s Venezuela<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a 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           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The second indictment of Comey concerned a since-deleted post he made of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-frame-comeys-trump-threat-as-conservative-uproar\/\" title=\"Media Frame ...&#039;s ... Threat As &#039;Conservative Uproar&#039;\">seashell arrangement<\/a> on a beach that read \u201c86 47\u201d with the caption \u201cCool shell formation on my beach walk.\u201d Critics of Comey have seen it as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mother-arrested-after-creating-deepfake-images-showing-teen-daughters-cheerleader-rivals-naked-drinking\/\" title=\"Mother Arrested After Creating \u2018Deepfake\u2019 Images Showing Teen Daughter\u2019s Cheerleader Rivals Naked, Drinking\">threatening message<\/a> toward President Donald Trump, as \u201c86\u201d can be used as a term to nix something, and Trump is the 47th president.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In his comments on NBC\u2019s <em>Meet the Press<\/em>, Blanche said the investigators looked at much more than the seashell photo to craft the indictment, noting that Comey posted the photo in May 2025 and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4546191\/james-comey-indicted-second-time-report\/\">indictment was returned<\/a> in late April 2026.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not permitted to get into the details of what the grand jury heard or found, as you know, but rest assured that it\u2019s not just the Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted,\u201d Blanche said.<\/p>\n<p>The term \u201c86 47\u201d has been used more widely on the Left and, as NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker pointed out, online stores such as Amazon have sold merchandise including T-shirts, stickers, and hats with the term written on them. Blanche said that individuals should not be indicted just for purchasing or wearing merchandise like that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t about a single incident,\u201d Blanche said. \u201cOf course not. That\u2019s posted constantly. That phrase is used constantly. There are constantly men and women who choose to make threatening statements against President Trump. Every one of those statements do not result in indictments, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are facts, there are circumstances, there are investigations that have to take place,\u201d Blanche continued. \u201cWe have charged dozens and dozens of men and women this year with threatening President Trump and others. So this isn\u2019t a new charge we\u2019re bringing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4550485\/doj-weighs-classified-leak-charges-comey-legal-pressure-builds\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4550485\">DOJ WEIGHS NEW CLASSIFIED LEAK CHARGES AGAINST COMEY AS LEGAL PRESSURE ESCALATES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Blanche conceded that \u201cof course\u201d the seashells are \u201cpart of\u201d the investigation into Comey, but the indictment was a result of the entire 11-month investigation into the former FBI Director.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice also indicted Comey last year on the basis that he allegedly lied about press leaks to Congress, but the charges were dismissed after a judge found that interim U.S. Attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4409392\/halligan-ordered-to-defend-not-giving-up-us-attorney-job\/\">Lindsey Halligan<\/a> was not serving in her role lawfully.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Acting A.G. Todd Blanche said Comey\u2019s indictment involved more than his \u201c86 47\u201d seashell post<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2598215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-yf7imeoo7-1777821612489-e1777822259292.jpg?1777807862&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[25914,23264,15074,32285,79019],"class_list":["post-2598214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-blanche","tag-comey","tag-indictment","tag-legal-case","tag-seashell-fraud"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-collage-yf7imeoo7-1777821612489-e1777822259292.jpg?1777807862&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598214"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598218,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598214\/revisions\/2598218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}