‘This is not an audition’: Todd Blanche shuts down rumors he’s gunning for AG after indicting Comey
'Absolutely not!'
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just made it crystal clear – he’s not here to audition for anything. In a Wednesday interview with CBS, Blanche shut down rumors that the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey was some kind of political favor or a backdoor play for the top job at the Department of Justice.
According to The Hill, Comey stands accused of making threats against the president through an Instagram post last year. The post showed seashells arranged to spell out “86-47,” a slang phrase that prosecutors say any “reasonable recipient” would interpret as a serious threat.
The numbers break down like this: “86” means to get rid of something, and “47” is widely understood as a reference to the 47th president. The DOJ is treating this as a direct threat to harm, and Comey now faces two federal charges that could land him in prison for up to a decade if convicted.
Blanche denied that Trump directed him to pursue the issue
Blanche didn’t hold back when asked if the indictment was some kind of tryout for the attorney general role. “I don’t even know what that means,” he told CBS Mornings host Major Garrett. “I’ve been the deputy attorney general for over a year. This is not an audition.”
He also denied any suggestion that the president directed him to pursue the case, calling the idea “absolutely, positively not” true. The investigation, he pointed out, has been underway for nearly a year, long before any whispers about his future job prospects.
Last year, Trump told Fox News that Comey knew “exactly” what the “86-47” post meant. “A child knows what that meant,” he said. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.”
Comey, for his part, has denied any wrongdoing. In a video posted to Substack after the indictment was unsealed, he called the charges baseless and vowed to fight them. “I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary,” he said. “So let’s go.”
The case has drawn comparisons to another controversial post from 2022
Far-right activist Jack Posobiec shared a similar message, “86 46”, seemingly targeting the former president. That post was never pursued by the DOJ, and Garrett pressed Blanche on why Comey’s case was different. Blanche pushed back hard, calling the comparison “completely not true.”
He explained that grand juries don’t just look at a single image and decide to indict or not. They dig into the full context, and every investigation stands on its own. “They do an investigation,” he said. “Every investigation is different. You know that, the American people know that.”
The DOJ’s official statement on the indictment framed the case as part of a broader effort to hold people accountable for violent rhetoric. Blanche didn’t pull any punches, calling threats against the president “a grave violation of our nation’s laws.”
He also tied the case to a larger concern about political violence, noting that the country has seen “violent incitement followed by deadly actions” against elected officials. “The temperature needs to be turned down,” he said, “and anyone who dials it up and threatens the life of the President will be held accountable.”
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed those sentiments calling Comey’s post a “disgraceful” act that he knew would draw attention. “As the former Director of the FBI, he knew full well the attention and consequences of making such a post,” Patel said. The FBI and DOJ partners conducted what they called a “rigorous investigation,” and now Comey will have to answer for his actions in court.
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where the indictment was filed, made it clear that no one is above the law in his jurisdiction. “Our office regularly pursues threat cases including those against public officials,” Boyle said. “The Grand Jury examined the evidence in this case and found probable cause to indict Mr. Comey.”
It is already sparking debates about free speech
The indictment itself lays out the charges in stark terms. The first count alleges that Comey violated a federal law against threatening the president, while the second accuses him of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Both charges hinge on the idea that a “reasonable recipient” would interpret the “86-47” post as a serious expression of intent to do harm.
The legal battle ahead will likely focus on whether Comey’s post crossed that line. Comey has already signaled he’s not backing down, framing the indictment as an attack on his integrity. The DOJ, meanwhile, seems just as determined to make an example of this case. Blanche’s comments suggest they see it as part of a larger effort to crack down on violent rhetoric, especially when it targets public officials.
(Featured Image: BruceSchaff)
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