FILE PHOTO: FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee hearing into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
(New York, NY) – Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted over a social media post the Department of Justice claims threatened the life of President Trump. The post from Comey sparked controversy from both sides of the aisle, but now many critics of the President are now claiming this case is politically motivated. The news of the indictment came in the week following a third attempt on President Trump’s life at the White House Correspondent’s Association dinner.
DOJ Takes Over Eastern District Effort
It all started with a post. Comey shared a picture of some shells on the beach, arranged to form the numbers “86 47”. Eighty six is typically code in food service as “to get rid of” or “refuse service”, however Trump says the entomology actually has mob ties
Then on Tuesday, Comey was indicted on two counts. One charge for knowingly and willingly making a threat on the president’s life, and another count for transmitting that threat via interstate commerce (the internet). Each charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years behind bars.
Appearing on the Sunday morning talk shows, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche expressed his confidence in the case. Blanche said this case is nearly a year in the making, and claims prosecutors have plenty of proof. Comey will be back in federal court in South Carolina on May 11th.
Comey Has Plenty of Company
While Comey is by and large the most high profile name to face these charges from the Trump administration, you can find multiple headlines of private citizens across the country being cuffed for threatening the president. In Massachusetts, a man was booked for posting multiple threats on Facebook, including explicit violent methods and references to Trump’s whereabouts. Down in Texas, a man was charged for a series of online threats.
Former Fed Responds with a Video Post
After getting in trouble for his social media, naturally, the former law enforcement head took to social media once again to share his response to the charges. Comey set the stage for a lengthy legal battle claiming “this won’t be the end of it, but I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid”. In court on Wednesday, Comey did not enter a plea or even speak a single word during a brief hearing that lasted around 10 minutes.
When he first made the original shell post, Comey did respond with a follow-up message, skirting accountability. “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assume were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” Going on to explain he deleted the original picture over an opposition to violence “of any kind”. Comey’s attorneys are seeking a full dismissal on grounds of selective prosecution.
This case comes after a judge previously dismissed charges against Comey – claiming the former FBI director lied to Congress. Those charges were dismissed because the judge found the US Attorney, Lindsay Halligan, never went through the proper confirmation process.
Other High Profile DOJ Targets
Meanwhile, the DOJ still has their sights set on other high profile Trump critics like New York Attorney General Letitia James. Federal Housing director Bill Pulte said he was still probing possible violations in home insurance filings for properties in Illinois and Florida. This comes after previous insurance fraud probes were tossed in court. Another high profile case, saw a reversal of a charge Trump was once on the receiving end of, in the classified documents case of former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Bolton was indicted back in October, discovery is expected to continue through this month.
