Blanche needs to ‘bone up on the rules’
James Comey on Sunday urged Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to “follow the rules” during the federal investigation into the former FBI director.
When asked about the case during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Comey said, “I’m not talking about the case because federal court rules don’t require it. I urge the acting attorney general to follow the rules.”
Comey faced two separate accusations due to allegations that the photo of seashells he shared on Instagram posed a threat to President Trump’s life.
In an interview with NBC earlier this month, Blanche answered questions about the investigation into her social media post, which included a photo of seashells in a formation marked “86 47.”
“This isn’t just about one Instagram post,” Blanche told NBC’s Kristen Welker. “This is about a body of evidence that the grand jury collected over approximately 11 months.”
On Sunday, Comey said Blanche should not talk about the case and declined to respond to the comment.
“I don’t want to comment on this because then someone will say I’m commenting on the case. He shouldn’t be talking about this, I can’t talk about this,” Comey told Welker.
“That’s why we have a judicial process in the courtroom,” he added.
The Justice Department had previously accused the former FBI director of making false statements and obstruction in his testimony before the Senate in 2020.
But the judge dismissed the case after finding that former U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a federal prosecutor, had been unlawfully appointed to the position.
Comey argued that the prosecutions were political revenge and continued to criticize the president.
On Sunday, the former FBI director defended his Instagram post when asked if he should maintain his impartiality as the former head of a law enforcement agency.
“I am a private citizen. In the fall of 2024, I saw a seashell where someone had written an endorsement of Kamala Harris inside a large seashell. I took a photo of it, thought it was very clever, and I think I wrote: ‘Ariel understands the assignment,’ referring to ‘[The] The Little Mermaid,’” Comey told Welker.
“I’m a private citizen. Again, I won’t talk about this particular post, but I use Instagram the way any incompetent, nerdy dad would,” he added.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Head to The Hill for the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video.
