Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back on Democratic criticism centered on James Comey’s First Amendment rights after the former FBI director was indicted over what prosecutors describe as a threat against President Trump. The case stems from a social media post several months ago showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47,” which Trump administration officials and top Republicans have characterized as a call for violence against the president.
Blanche argued the post is not an issue of free speech, emphasizing that threats are not protected under the First Amendment. Democrats, meanwhile, have maintained that the post falls within protected speech.
🚨 NOW: AG Todd Blanche GOES OFF on Democrats whining that James Comey had a 1st Amendment right to threaten President Trump’s life
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 29, 2026
“You CANNOT threaten the President of the United States!”
“That's not MY decision, that's Congress' decision, in a law that THEY passed!” 🔥… pic.twitter.com/F4DFPTcgEe
"If anybody in this country thinks, especially what happened over the past couple years with respect to President Trump, that it is okay for anybody to threaten the President of the United States, that it is okay to threaten the President of the United States and then have the media or others say, well, that's not serious, then we have a bigger problem than I even imagined in this country," Blanche said. "Of course it's serious when you threaten the President of the United States. And anybody that tries to put forward some narrative that this is just about seashells or something to the contrary, is missing the point."
"You cannot threaten the President of the United States. That's not my decision. That's Congress's decision in a law that they passed. And so, yes, of course, this is a serious case," he added.
Comey was indicted for a second time on Tuesday over what many have described as a threat against the President of the United States, after he posted an image of seashells arranged to spell “86 47,” slang interpreted by many as calling for the assassination of President Trump.
Comey and liberal critics have denied that the image constitutes a serious threat.
.@DAGToddBlanche: "Today, a grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment against James Comey on two counts."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 28, 2026
Count one: Knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the… pic.twitter.com/lrJCHGysBI
This comes as Republicans have criticized Democrats over what they describe as inflammatory rhetoric directed at the president, which they argue has contributed to a series of assassination attempts. The latest incident occurred over the weekend, when a California man allegedly tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives, with the intent of targeting top Trump administration officials.
Despite the recent rise in political violence, Democrats have insisted their rhetoric is not to blame and have continued to stand by their messaging.