By Luis De Jesus
The acting prosecutor of the United States, Todd Blanche, stated this Sunday that The accusation against former FBI Director James Comey is based on a broad body of evidence and not only in his controversial publication on social networks.
During an interview on the program Meet the Press, Blanche explained that prosecutors gathered evidence for approximately 11 months and presented them before a grand jury.
Although he avoided detailing the content of that evidence, he noted that it will be publicly exposed during the eventual trial. “It’s not just a post on Instagram,” he stressed.
Comey was accused last week of threaten President Donald Trump, after sharing an image of seashells forming the numbers “86 47.”
The president reacted days later ensuring that his life was “probably” at risk, and maintained that the number “86” can be interpreted as a mafia expression that means “eliminate” someone.
Likewise, Republican Senator Thom Tillis questioned the crudeness of the case and pointed out that he finds no evidence that the term implies a call to violence. “If all this is based on a photo on the beach, it doesn’t make sense,” he stated.
Blanche, for her part, defended the accusation and assured that the Department of Justice has “evidence of all kinds.” He added that, although the expression “86 47” frequently appears on social networks, Not all statements lead to formal charges, since each case requires a specific investigation.
According to him, this year there have been dozens of accusations of threats against the president and other figures.
Blanche assumed leadership of the Justice Department following the ouster of former top prosecutor Pam Bondi last month.
Last year, federal prosecutors attempted to bring charges against Comey and New York’s top prosecutor, Letitia James, but A judge dismissed those accusations, considering that the prosecutor had not been legally appointed.
Blanche insisted that this antecedent is not related to the valid case.
Besides, Comey has recently been subpoenaed in another investigation promoted by the Trump administration, vlinked to inquiries into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.
Keep reading:
• Donald Trump claimed that former FBI director “knew exactly” the meaning of 86 47
• Former DOJ employees assure that case against James Comey is political persecution
• US investigates alleged threat against Trump by former FBI chief