The former [Central Intelligence Agency](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/cia) director John Brennan has added his name to growing calls for the president to be ousted on grounds that he is unfit for the job, arguing that the US constitution’s 25th amendment addressing involuntary removal from office was “written with Donald Trump in mind”. Brennan, who served as head of the spy agency during Barack Obama’s presidency, told [MS Now](https://www.ms.now/ali-velshi/watch/fmr-cia-director-john-brennan-iran-didn-t-pose-an-imminent-threat-admin-lies-are-obvious-2496023107742) on Saturday that Trump’s recent volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization and the danger he posed to so many lives merited his removal from the Oval Office. “This person is clearly unhinged,” he said. “I think the 25th amendment was written with [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) in mind.” Brennan added that Trump was too much of a liability to be allowed to continue to be commander-in-chief, with immense firepower at his disposal, including the US nuclear arsenal. The ex-CIA director’s comments cast him at the forefront of a mounting debate over Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran and his increasingly violent threats to inflict mass destruction on that country. On 7 April, [the president warned](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/07/israel-warns-iran-lives-at-risk-if-they-use-trains-trump-deadline) that Iran’s “whole civilisation will die tonight” if the Iranian regime failed to meet his ultimatum – a threat Brennan said hinted at the deployment of nuclear capabilities. As Trump has ramped up his aggressive and [expletive-filled](https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/08/us/word-of-week-fkin-cec) rhetoric, an increasing number of Democrats have responded by calling for the 25th amendment to be invoked. The measure, baked into the US constitution in 1967, allows for the vice-president and a majority of the cabinet to [remove the president](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv) on the basis that he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”. More than 70 Democrats in Congress have called for the amendment to be applied, according to the latest count by [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-trump-removal-iran-threats-impeachment-25th-amendment-rcna267194). The chances of that actually happening are close to nil, given the lock-tight loyalty that continues to be shown to Trump by his vice-president, JD Vance, and his entire cabinet. However, concern about Trump’s increasingly charged language and dystopian threats are likely to persist given the failure of peace talks between the US and Iran on Saturday as well as the possibility of renewed hostilities. Brennan’s comments were especially striking given that he is under active investigation by Trump’s US justice department as part of the president’s vendetta against his perceived enemies. Under pressure from the White House, the justice department put Brennan and the former FBI director James Comey under [criminal investigation](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-administration-targets-comey-brennan-new-investigation-rcna217713) in July. Two months later, Comey was charged with [two counts](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/25/james-comey-fbi-director-indictment) accusing him of lying to Congress during testimony in 2020 over the Russia election interference investigation. A judge has thrown out that prosecution. It is understood that the investigation into Brennan is ongoing. In March, the chair of the House judiciary committee, Trump ally Jim Jordan, claimed the inquiry was “[heating up](https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/jim-jordan-says-probe-former-cia-director-john-brennan-heating-doj-seeks#:~:text=Jim%20Jordan%20says%20probe%20into,Russia%20to%20influence%20the%20election)”.

_This story appeared in [The Logoff](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump), a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. [Subscribe here](https://www.vox.com/pages/logoff-newsletter-trump-administration-updates)_. **Welcome to The Logoff:** The Trump administration is taking another run at its enemies list. **What happened?** On Tuesday, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for a second time on new federal charges; prosecutors allege that a 2025 social media post Comey made, showing seashells arranged to read “86 47,” was “a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon,” Donald Trump. Trump is the 47th president, and “86” is broadly understood to be [service industry slang](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eighty-six) for rejecting or removing something or someone, depending on the context — but prosecutors, and [some Republicans](https://x.com/atrupar/status/2049192702135214207?s=20), have instead chosen to interpret it as a call for Trump’s assassination. At the time, Comey said he was unaware of any violent connotations to the term and quickly deleted his post in response to backlash. **Why Comey?** Trump has long wanted to punish Comey for his role in investigating ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Specifically, Tuesday’s indictment is a transparent retread of a similar attempt last year, when the Trump administration briefly — and incompetently — indicted Comey on [a different set of flimsy charges](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump/463076/donald-trump-james-comey-indictment-revenge-campaign), which were subsequently dismissed. (It’s not even, we should note, the only such attempt today: The administration also stepped up its attack on late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s employer, ABC, on Tuesday, after both the president and first lady Melania Trump went after Kimmel for a joke. Kimmel was briefly forced off the air by the administration last fall.) **What’s the big picture?** Earlier this month, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, replacing her with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former member of Trump’s personal legal team. Trump’s frustrations with Bondi were well-known; in September, he posted a message addressed to her, complaining that “Nothing is being done” against his enemies. Blanche, who is up for the permanent AG job, is clearly trying to remedy that as fast as possible, never mind how ridiculous the charges. Here’s [some good climate news from my colleague Bryan Walsh](https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/486845/climate-change-coal-solar-renewable-power?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IkRlTkE5MXBlY1YiLCJwIjoiL3RoZS1oaWdobGlnaHQvNDg2ODQ1L2NsaW1hdGUtY2hhbmdlLWNvYWwtc29sYXItcmVuZXdhYmxlLXBvd2VyIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc4NjE2ODU0LCJpYXQiOjE3Nzc0MDcyNTR9.Mu3eHT6t__4iH3EYyERZrJGqRdMsMbiuKz3ygs1JQWc&utm_medium=gift-link), which first ran in [his aptly named Good News newsletter](https://www.vox.com/pages/good-news-newsletter-signup): After more than a century of dominance, coal has been unseated as the world’s leading source of electricity — by renewable energy. You can read all about it [here with a gift link](https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/486845/climate-change-coal-solar-renewable-power?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6IkRlTkE5MXBlY1YiLCJwIjoiL3RoZS1oaWdobGlnaHQvNDg2ODQ1L2NsaW1hdGUtY2hhbmdlLWNvYWwtc29sYXItcmVuZXdhYmxlLXBvd2VyIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc4NjE2ODU0LCJpYXQiOjE3Nzc0MDcyNTR9.Mu3eHT6t__4iH3EYyERZrJGqRdMsMbiuKz3ygs1JQWc&utm_medium=gift-link). Have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow! See More: * [Donald Trump](https://www.vox.com/donald-trump) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [The Logoff](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump)

 The Justice Department has secured a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey for threatening President Trump by posting a photo on social media. This is [the second time](https://www.npr.org/2025/09/25/nx-s1-5552690/james-comey-indicted) the Trump DOJ has gotten an indictment against Comey, a fierce critic and outspoken opponent of President Trump. A grand jury handed up an [indictment](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey-threats-harm-president-trump) against Comey over a photo he posted online last year of seashells on a North Carolina beach arranged to say "8647" — 86 being old slang to mean "get rid of," and 47 seen by some as a reference to Trump, who is the 47th (and 45th) president. Comey "did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States, in that he publicly posted a photograph on the internet social media site Instagram which depicted seashells arranged in a pattern making out "86 47", which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States," according to the indictment, which was unsealed on Tuesday and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The grand jury also issued a warrant for Comey's arrest, according to documents in the case. Both of these counts carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference on Tuesday. "Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice," Blanche said. He mentioned the DOJ has also prosecuted several other cases against people threatening Trump. "While this case is unique and this indictment stands out because of the name of the defendant, his alleged conduct is the same kind of conduct that we will never tolerate and that we will always investigate and regularly prosecute," Blanche said. ### Questions about bounds of free speech The post last May prompted an uproar among some Republicans, with Donald Trump Jr. [accusing](https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1923118680658862260) Comey of "calling for my dad to be murdered." Administration officials last May said they [would investigate](https://www.npr.org/2025/05/16/nx-s1-5400400/comey-trump-8647-investigation-instagram). Comey has said he didn't realize some people associate the numbers with violence and took the post down; he [said at the time](https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?hl=en) that he assumed the shells were a "political message," not a violent one. It's unclear who created the shell formation. "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let's go," Comey said in an [Substack video](https://jamescomey.substack.com/p/seashells) in response to Tuesday's indictment. Several legal experts have also said Comey's photo seemed to fall in the bounds of political speech protected by the First Amendment. Blanche pushed back against such criticism on Tuesday. "I don't know what critics say that, especially today, but it's not a very difficult line to look at," he said in response to a reporter's question on Tuesday. "You are not allowed to threaten the President of the United States of America. That's not my decision. That's Congress's decision, and a statute that they passed that we charge multiple times a year." A statement from Comey's lawyer said Comey "vigorously denies" the charges in the indictment. "We will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr. Comey and the First Amendment," according to the statement shared with NPR. ### Past indictments This indictment is seen as the latest move by the Justice Department to use its vast powers to go after Trump's perceived political enemies. Comey has been an outspoken critic of Trump since he led the FBI during the president's first term. Trump [fired](https://www.npr.org/2017/05/09/527663050/president-trump-fires-fbi-director-james-comey) Comey in 2017, four years into his ten-year term, as he was overseeing an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. A federal judge in November [dismissed an earlier](https://www.npr.org/2025/11/24/g-s1-98612/trump-us-attorney-lindsey-halligan) DOJ attempt to indict James Comey as well as New York Attorney General [Letitia James](https://www.npr.org/2025/10/09/nx-s1-5569792/letitia-james-indictment-trump). The Justice Department charged Comey with making false statements and obstructing justice in connection with his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020. Prosecutors say [Comey lied to the Senate committee](https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/nx-s1-5600580/judge-comey-probe-evidence) when he denied having authorized media leaks; Comey denied the charges. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie found that the acting U.S. attorney who secured the indictments, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed. The cases were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the Justice Department had the ability to bring them again.

Watch: "I'm still innocent" - James Comey responds to new indictment Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with threatening the life of US President Donald Trump, a formal accusation that stems from an image he briefly shared on social media. The image posted on Instagram last year showed seashells forming the numbers "86 47". "Eighty-six" is a slang term used to mean "eject" or "remove". Comey has insisted he did not know what the numbers on the image meant, but Trump and other administration officials have said the post was a threat against the 47th president. Responding to the charges on Tuesday, Comey said: "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary." At a press conference to announce the indictment, FBI Director Kash Patel said that as the former director of the agency, Comey "knew full well the attention and consequences of making such a post". "James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump's life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see," Kash Patel said on Tuesday. Comey was fired by Trump during his first term, after the former FBI director opened an investigation into Russian interference in the US 2016 presidential election. Since then, Trump has repeatedly called for his prosecution - Tuesday's charges are the administration's second attempt to do so. "Well, they're back. This time about a picture of sea shells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. And this won't be the end of it, but nothing has changed with me," Comey said in a statement. Comey faces charges of making a threat against the president and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, according to court documents. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. "Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation's laws," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. "The grand jury returned an indictment alleging James Comey did just that." US Secret Service agents interviewed Comey last May about the seashell photo. Comey deleted the Instagram post, saying in a follow-up that he "assumed \[the sea shells\] were a political message". "I didn't realise some folks associate those numbers with violence," he added. "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." Trump, who has long criticised Comey, said of the post that "a child knows what that meant". Watch: Justice Department announces new indictment against James Comey Some legal experts said the indictment appeared insubstantial and raised new questions about the DOJ's efforts to target Trump's perceived political opponents. "It's very thin," said Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional law expert at the UNC School of Law. Comey's social media post will likely be viewed by courts as free speech that is protected by the first amendment, Gerhardt added. Jimmy Gurulé, a former federal prosecutor and former assistant US Attorney General appointed by President George W Bush, said the new indictment was "an embarrassment to the American criminal justice system". "The DOJ will not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that James Comey had the intent to threaten or harm President Trump," Gurulé, now a Notre Dame Law School professor, said in a statement to the BBC. "The indictment is a transparent attempt to intimidate one of the President's perceived political enemies." This is the second time the justice department has brought charges against Comey. Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury in late September on charges that he lied to Congress during testimony in September 2020 and obstructed a congressional proceeding. The charges came days after Trump called on the country's top law enforcement official to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries, including Comey. US District Judge Cameron Currie tossed the indictment against Comey because of prosecutor Lindsey Halligan's "invalid" appointment as US attorney. Halligan, the prosecutor in eastern Virginia who secured the indictments, was not authorised to present the charges to the grand jury, the judge said. Halligan is a former White House aide who had never prosecuted a case before. The judge, however, left the door open for the government to try again. Earlier on Tuesday, a separate judge ruled that former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey - James Comey's daughter - can move forward with her case challenging her firing by the Trump administration.

The justice department filed new criminal charges against [James Comey](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/james-comey), the former FBI director, on Tuesday. Comey was charged in federal court in the eastern district of North Carolina over a picture he posted on Instagram while on vacation last year in which sea shells were arranged to say “86 47”. The post was taken as a threat to [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump). The number 86 can be used as shorthand for getting rid of something, and Trump is the 47th president. Comey subsequently deleted the post and apologized, saying he didn’t realize the numbers were associated with violence. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he [wrote on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?hl=en). The [indictment, made public on Tuesday](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nced.227449/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.1.0_2.pdf), says that a reasonable person “would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States”. [](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/james-comey-fbi-second-indictment#img-2) The image posted by James Comey. Photograph: Instagram Comey was charged with two felonies – [making a threat against the president](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/871) and [transmitting that threat](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/875), via social media, across state lines. Both counts are punishable with a fine and a prison sentence of up to five years. “I think it’s fair to say that threatening the life of anybody is dangerous and potentially a crime. Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice,” Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Blanche declined to comment on how the justice department would prove Comey had intent to harm Trump, saying that doing so would be premature. [CNN first](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/28/politics/justice-department-indicts-ex-fbi-director-james-comey-again) reported a new indictment had been filed. “Mr Comey vigorously denies the charges contained in the indictment filed in the eastern district of North Carolina,” Comey’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said in a response to the charges. “We will contest these charges in the courtroom and look forward to vindicating Mr Comey and the first amendment.” Later on Tuesday, Comey published a video of himself speaking to the camera on his personal [Substack](https://jamescomey.substack.com/p/seashells?r=16z5v&triedRedirect=true): “Well, they’re back. This time, about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. And this won’t be the end of it, but nothing has changed with me. I am still innocent. I am still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So, let’s go.” Comey continued: “It’s really important that all of us remember – this is not who we are as a country, this is not how the department of justice is supposed to be, and the good news is we get closer every day to restoring those values. Keep the faith.” The justice department previously indicted Comey last year and charged him with lying to Congress. That case was dismissed when a judge in the eastern district of Virginia ruled that the prosecutor overseeing the case had been wrongfully appointed. Comey has long been the subject of Trump’s wrath over his investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia, and Trump allies had called for the former [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) director to be punished. Even though the post was widely seen as a non-violent anti-Trump expression, federal law enforcement officials investigated the matter and interviewed Comey. The new indictment marks the latest instance in which Trump’s justice department has used its power to target the US president’s political enemies. The justice department also criminally charged [Letitia James](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/letitia-james), the New York attorney general, last year on thin allegations of mortgage fraud. The case was dismissed for the same reason Comey’s earlier case was tossed. Blanche, [the acting attorney general](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/todd-blanche-attorney-general), is said to want the job permanently. He has moved quickly to push forward on investigations and charges related to Trump rivals after the president fired Pam Bondi for not moving aggressively enough. The justice department is also accelerating an inquiry into John Brennan, the former CIA director, and last week filed flimsy criminal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center. A former top aide to Anthony Fauci was also criminally charged on Tuesday over allegations he concealed federal records [related to research](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/fauci-aide-covid-research-indictment-00895447) into the coronavirus in bats. The charges come after a California man was stopped with weapons at the [White House correspondents’ dinner](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting) in Washington on Saturday and charged with attempting to assassinate the president. In a separate case on Tuesday, a federal judge in New York ruled that Comey’s daughter, Maurene, [could proceed](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/nyregion/maurene-comey-lawsuit-trump.html) with a wrongful termination lawsuit alleging she was wrongfully dismissed as a federal prosecutor last year.

The justice department filed new criminal charges against [James Comey](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/james-comey), the former FBI director, on Tuesday. Comey was charged in federal court in the eastern district of North Carolina over a picture he posted on Instagram while on vacation last year in which sea shells were arranged to say “86 47”. The post was taken as a threat to [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump). The number 86 can be used as shorthand for getting rid of something, and Trump is the 47th president. Comey subsequently deleted the post and apologized, saying he didn’t realize the numbers were associated with violence. Comey was charged with two felonies – [making a threat against the president](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/871) and [transmitting that threat](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/875), via social media, across state lines. Both counts are punishable with a fine and a prison sentence of up to five years. The new indictment marks the latest instance in which Trump’s justice department has used its power to target the US president’s political enemies. The justice department also criminally charged [Letitia James](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/letitia-james), the New York attorney general, last year on thin allegations of mortgage fraud. The case was dismissed for the same reason Comey’s earlier case was tossed. The [indictment, made public on Tuesday](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nced.227449/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.1.0_2.pdf), says that a reasonable person “would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States”. Comey has long been the subject of Trump’s wrath over his investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia, and Trump allies had called for the former [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) director to be punished. Even though the post was widely seen as a non-violent anti-Trump expression, federal law enforcement officials investigated the matter and interviewed Comey. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/james-comey-fbi-second-indictment) Donald Trump has praised the “special relationship” between the US and the UK, as he hosted a ceremonial military welcome for King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House. Against a backdrop of [recent tensions](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/26/donald-trump-uk-aircraft-carriers-toys-nato-keir-starmer-iran) between London and Washington, the US president, speaking on the second day of Charles’s state visit, said: “In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British.” [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/28/trump-hails-special-relationship-during-ceremonial-welcome-for-king-charless-state-visit) The US’s top media watchdog announced on Tuesday that it is accelerating the review of eight local broadcasting licenses used by [ABC](https://www.theguardian.com/media/abc), in a move critics see as a clear example of political and regulatory retribution against a disfavored broadcaster. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/fcc-abc-jimmy-kimmel) The United Arab Emirates has quit the [Opec oil cartel](https://www.theguardian.com/business/opec) after 60 years of membership, in a heavy blow to the group and its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, as global energy markets contend with the biggest supply crisis in history. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/28/uae-quit-opec-oil-exporters-cartel-donald-trump) In a speech that will be read as a veiled plea to [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) to return to the United States’s traditional European alliances and restore his country’s role as a defender of liberal values, Charles said: “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more.” [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/28/king-charles-speech-congress) After an armed man attempted to breach the ballroom where [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) was set to speak to White House journalists on Saturday, conspiracy theories immediately spread about whether the event was staged. The conspiracy theories about the White House correspondents’ dinner gunman came as some of Trump’s former allies had been discussing a conspiracy theory publicly, for weeks, about a prior assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania during his 2024 campaign being staged. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/white-house-press-dinner-shooting-conspiracy-theories) The limited-edition documents, billed as a commemoration of the US’s 250th anniversary of independence, will display [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump)’s photograph on the inside cover, surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the US flag, with his signature rendered in gold. A separate page features the famous painting of the founding fathers signing that very document. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/donald-trump-passports) What else happened today: ------------------------- Catching up? _Here’s what happened **[27 April 2026](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/trump-news-latest-updates-today)**._

_Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter._ [Subscribe](https://www.npr.org/newsletter/news) _here to get it delivered to your inbox, and_ [listen](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510318/up-first/) _to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day._ ### Today's top stories **The Department of Justice has secured a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey.** The DOJ is accusing him of threatening President Trump in an Instagram photo he posted and then deleted last year. This is the second time Trump's Justice Department has gotten an indictment against Comey. The photo Comey posted showed seashells on a North Carolina beach [arranged to read "8647"](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5803167/james-comey-indictment) — 86 being old slang for "get rid of," and "47" seen by some as a reference to Trump, the 47th (and 45th) president. The grand jury has issued a warrant for Comey's arrest, according to court documents.  * 🎧 **NPR's Carrie Johnson tells _Up First_ that some lawyers she spoke with wonder if this case will ever get to trial.** This is because, under Supreme Court precedent, prosecutors must prove that Comey [understood the threatening nature](https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5804320:x) of his post. So far, the evidence shows that Comey believed this was political speech protected by the First Amendment. The Justice Department says it is treating Comey like everyone else, but evidence suggests otherwise, Johnson says. She points to posts from the president demanding that Comey and others who investigated him be prosecuted. **The Supreme Court hears two cases today that could allow the Trump administration to proceed with mass deportations** of two large groups of people who have been living legally in the U.S., many of them for more than a decade. At [issue is the Temporary Protected Status program](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5794042/supeme-court-tps), which permits eligible individuals to live and work in the U.S. if they cannot safely return to their home countries due to natural disasters, armed conflicts or other "extraordinary or temporary conditions." Congress established the TPS program in 1990. * 🎧 **Every president except for Trump has supported TPS**, according to NPR's Nina Totenberg. Haiti and Syria are two test cases in Trump's effort to get rid of the program. Haitians received temporary protected status after a devastating earthquake killed more than 300,000 people in 2010. To this day, the country suffers from cholera epidemics, roving gangs and no functioning government. In Syria, a relatively small group of 7,000 received temporary protected status because of the civil war and Israeli bombing attacks. TPS status holders must renew every 18 months. The Trump administration argues that, under the 1990 TPS statute, none of these judgments is subject to review by the courts. Lawyers for TPS recipients [counter that the Trump administration has failed to comply](https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5804320:x) with the procedures mandated by federal law. * ➡️ **The Supreme Court justices are also set to hear arguments today** in a battle over drug patents that could [raise prescription drug costs](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5803137/supreme-court-generic-drugs-hikma) and change how generic companies do business. **Jerome Powell is set to have what is likely his last policy meeting as Federal Reserve chairman today.** The central bank is expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged. Powell led the Fed for more than eight years, and his term expires next month. A key Senate committee is set to vote today on Trump's pick to replace Powell, Kevin Warsh. This could set the stage for a confirmation vote by the full Senate in time for [Warsh to take over upon Powell's departure](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5802911/federal-reserve-meeting-jerome-powell-kevin-warsh). Warsh has argued that there's room to cut interest rates without risking inflation, partly due to productivity gains from artificial intelligence. But he's also vowed to maintain the Fed's independence and not take marching orders from Trump, who wants lower interest rates. **King Charles III used a joint address to Congress yesterday to emphasize** the vital transatlantic relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. His speech [comes at a tense moment](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5800874/trump-king-charles-relationship-congress-state-dinner) in the U.S.'s relationship with Europe's leaders. It also marks the first time a British monarch has addressed a joint session of Congress in nearly 35 years. * 🎧 **Charles delivered a clear message with his speech: The U.S. and its European allies are stronger together.** "We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last 80 years. Instead, we must build on it," he said. NPR's Elena Moore says the message counters a growing [appetite for isolationist policies](https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5804320:x) in the U.S. Trump has long been critical of European leaders and NATO. While the president has repeatedly praised the king, Trump has recently been increasingly vocal about his displeasure with the U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump has argued that the U.K. has not provided sufficient military support in the Iran war. It's the latest gripe he has with NATO countries more broadly, and he's previously said he'd consider withdrawing the U.S. from the alliance. So even though the royals may only have soft power, hearing Charles advocate for NATO like that is striking, Moore says. ### Life advice  Everyone has a mental load, otherwise known as the never-ending to-do list you have to keep track of in your head. But women carry the greatest burden, according to sociologist Leah Ruppanner. In one study of survey data from more than 3,000 U.S. parents, researchers found women carried more than 70% of the domestic mental load. This includes tracking schedules or delegating tasks. Ruppanner unpacks some assumptions that keep a woman's mental load heavy and discusses [what it takes to reclaim your headspace](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/21/nx-s1-5736111/want-to-lighten-your-mental-load-first-let-go-of-these-gender-myths) in a conversation with _Life Kit_. * 🧠 Let go of myths like women are good household managers while men are terrible at it. Men who actively participate in primary childcare and household duties are healthier, happier and more balanced, according to research. * 🧠 The idea that men can't see mess or dirt is not true. Research has shown that when asked to rate the messiness of a room, women and men rate the space similarly. * 🧠 Get clear on the tasks you need to prioritize. When you think of what is critical at the moment, it makes it easier to say no to decisions that are not worth investing in. For tips on how to lighten your mental load, [listen to this episode of NPR's _Life Kit_](https://one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5791662:x). Plus, read this practical guide on [how to split up chores fairly](https://www.npr.org/2022/09/16/1123560719/splitting-chores-partner-roommate), and subscribe to [the _Life Kit_ newsletter](https://www.npr.org/newsletter/life-kit) for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more. ### Picture show  The winning images in the 2026 World Press Photos contest capture the pain of the past year, but also focus on moments of strength, determination and joy. NPR highlighted the Photo of the Year honoree — [_Separated by ICE_](https://www.npr.org/sections/the-picture-show/2026/04/23/nx-s1-5793922/world-press-photo-announces-photo-of-the-year-2026), taken by Carol Guzy for _Miami Herald_. The image captures the pain of a family being separated in a New York court. Other award winners, like the Johannesburg-based photographer Ihsaan Haffejee, snapped happy moments, as in his photo of young ballet students pausing before their performance. The image is particularly moving because ballet was historically an art form reserved for white South Africans before the end of Apartheid. Check out [this selection featuring more photos](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/26/g-s1-118511/world-press-photo-contest-winners) recognized for distinction in regional categories, focusing on countries of the Global South. ### 3 things to know before you go  1. The president is having the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resurfaced, [changing its longtime gray hue](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5802343/reflecting-pool-resurfacing-blue-trump) to a swimming-pool-like blue. People passing by the work have mixed reactions: Some welcome the change, while others dismiss it as a costly waste of time. 2. The Federal Communications Commission has [ordered Disney's ABC to seek early renewal](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5802997/fcc-abc-license-renewal-melania-trump-jimmy-kimmel) of broadcast licenses for the eight TV stations it owns. The request comes amid backlash over Jimmy Kimmel's joke about first lady Melania Trump. 3. Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha ran the London Marathon in 1:59:41, crushing the elusive two-hour marathon goal. But he finished second. He tells NPR he [hopes to shave one minute off](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5803016/marathon-world-record-yomif-kejelcha) his run time in his next marathon. _This newsletter was edited by_ [_Suzanne Nuyen_](https://www.npr.org/people/859721331/suzanne-nuyen)_._

[James Comey](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/james-comey) made a brief appearance in court on Wednesday after the justice department indicted him over a social media post in a renewed bid to prosecute one of Donald Trump’s longtime political adversaries. The former FBI director was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday over a photograph he posted last year of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47” – a message the justice department says amounts to a threat against Trump, the 47th US president. The [indictment, made public on Tuesday](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nced.227449/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.1.0_2.pdf), said a reasonable person “would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States”. Comey responded in a video of himself speaking to the camera on his personal [Substack](https://jamescomey.substack.com/p/seashells?r=16z5v&triedRedirect=true) the same day to declare: “I am still innocent.” “Well, they’re back,” Comey said in the Tuesday video. “This time, about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago. And this won’t be the end of it, but nothing has changed with me. I am still innocent. I am still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So, let’s go.” Comey has said he assumed the numbers reflected a political message, not a call to violence against the Republican president, and removed the post as soon as he saw some people were interpreting it that way. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down,” he [wrote in a subsequent post on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?hl=en). The indictment is the second the justice department has brought against Comey. The department indicted Comey last year and charged him with lying to Congress. But that case was tossed out by a judge in the eastern district of Virginia, who ruled that the prosecutor overseeing the case had been wrongfully appointed. Comey has long been the subject of Trump’s wrath, stretching back to the president’s first term, when he led the bureau’s counterintelligence investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia. Trump dismissed Comey as FBI director in 2017, just four years into his 10-year term. Ever since, Trump allies had called for the former [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) director to be punished. In September, Trump wrote in a social media post directed to his then attorney general Pam Bondi, lamenting the lack of indictments against Comey and New York attorney general, [Letitia James](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/letitia-james). The justice department last year also criminally charged the New York attorney general on thin allegations of mortgage fraud. It was dismissed on the same basis as the case against Comey. The new indictment marks the latest instance in which Trump’s justice department has used its power to target the US president’s political enemies. Trump fired Bondi earlier this month, in part because he believed she had not moved aggressively enough to prosecute his rivals. Todd Blanche, [the acting attorney general](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/todd-blanche-attorney-general) who is said to want the job permanently, quickly renewed the effort to go after Comey and acceleratedan inquiry into John Brennan, the former CIA director whom Trump frequently targets. But legal experts say prosecutors may have a hard time bringing the case against Comey for the post widely seen as a non-violent anti-Trump expression. In the immediate aftermath, federal law enforcement officials investigated the matter and interviewed Comey.

 Former FBI Director James Comey was charged this week over a year-old social media post of a seashell formation that the Justice Department alleges constituted a threat to President Trump's life. A grand jury [returned an indictment](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5803167/james-comey-indictment) on Tuesday saying that Comey "did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States" when he [posted a picture of seashells](https://www.npr.org/2025/05/16/nx-s1-5400400/comey-trump-8647-investigation-instagram) in the sand on a North Carolina beach in May 2025. The seashells were arranged — it's not clear by whom — to form the numbers "8647." Eighty-six is a slang term widely interpreted as meaning "get rid of," while Trump is the 47th (and 45th) president. "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let's go," Comey said in a [Substack video](https://jamescomey.substack.com/p/seashells) response to the indictment, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Comey has been an outspoken critic of Trump since the president fired him in 2017, four years into his 10-year term, as he was overseeing an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. But Comey [said last year](https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?hl=en) that he interpreted the shell formation as a purely political message, writing, "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence." He quickly took the post down after backlash from Republicans and [Trump family members](https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1923118680658862260). But that didn't stop administration officials from opening an investigation. The Trump Justice Department has aggressively pursued cases against his political enemies. Just months ago, it attempted to [indict Comey in a separate case](https://www.npr.org/2025/09/25/nx-s1-5552690/james-comey-indicted) related to his 2020 congressional testimony. Those charges were dismissed in November by a federal judge, who ruled that the [prosecutor handling the case](https://www.npr.org/2025/11/25/nx-s1-5620636/lindsey-halligan-us-attorney-unlawful-comey-james) was unlawfully appointed. This new indictment comes just days after a gunman breached a security checkpoint at the [White House Correspondents' Dinner](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/26/g-s1-118807/trump-white-house-correspondents-dinner) in Washington, allegedly targeting administration officials. Trump has survived two previous assassination attempts, and Justice Department officials stressed this week that it takes all such threats seriously. At a [Tuesday press conference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3SvZiI2hiw), Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche brushed off a reporter's question about proving Comey's intent, given the fact that he apologized and took down the post. "You prove intent with witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself to the extent … it's appropriate," he said. "And that's how we'll prove intent in this case." A lot of that may hinge on the meaning of four numbers. ### From the soda counter to social media  According to [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/eighty-six-meaning-origin), the term "eighty-six" most likely comes from 1930s soda-counter slang meaning an item had sold out (perhaps a rhyming cousin of "nix"). "A Hollywood soda-jerker forwards this glossary of soda-fountain lingo out there," reads a May 1993 story in the Camden, N.J., _Courier-Post._ "'Shoot one' and 'draw one' is one coke and one coffee … An 'echo' is a repeat order. 'Eighty-six' means all out of it." It took on new meaning as a verb in the 1950s, initially to mean refusing service to a customer and later more broadly "to get rid of, to throw out." "Saloonkeepers in bygone days, on observing a patron becoming intoxicated from drinking hard liquor, sometimes switched his drinks to 86-proof liquor," reads a 1972 _Minneapolis Star_ article. "The practice was described as 'eighty-sixing' the patron, and this is probably the source of the verb used today to describe the cutting off of service to a patron by a bartender." Merriam-Webster says the service industry meaning of "86" is closest to how it's most commonly used today, though other interpretations have emerged over the years. One of those is "to kill." The dictionary calls that a "logical extension" of the term, but doesn't include it in its official definition "due to its relative recency and sparseness of use." ### "86" has caused a stir in U.S. politics before  The term seems to have crossed into the political lexicon in 2018, when Sarah Huckabee Sanders — then-press secretary in the first Trump administration — was [kicked out of a Virginia restaurant](https://www.npr.org/2018/06/23/622882115/sarah-sanders-joins-list-of-top-trump-aides-confronted-at-restaurants). The restaurant's closing staff wrote "86 Sarah Huckabee Sanders" [on their note](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/06/sarah-sanders-was-asked-to-leave-restaurant-over-trump-work.html) to the morning manager, a photo of which went viral. Later, in October 2020, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, gave a Zoom interview to _Meet the Press_ with an "8645" pin visible behind her, prompting some Republicans to wonder if she was sending a pointed, or possibly violent, message. The _Detroit News_ [reported at the time](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/18/whitmer-asks-trump-cool-it-says-hes-inciting-domestic-terrorism/3702262001/) that Whitmer's team said the Trump campaign's reaction was evidence that no one in the campaign had worked in the restaurant industry. Anne Curzan, a linguist at the University of Michigan, [told Michigan Public](https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2020-10-23/republicans-criticized-whitmer-for-use-of-86-what-does-it-actually-mean) at the time that the most accurate meaning of the term was likely the same as in the Huckabee Sanders incident. "It could mean they're fired, that there's no more use for them, they've been asked to leave," she said. "So that meaning is out there as well, which is more relevant to the '8645.'" Blanche [was asked on Tuesday](https://x.com/atrupar/status/2049229361962737856) whether more such cases are forthcoming, including against Whitmer. He declined to comment on other investigations. "As far as other incidents of threats against the president of the United States, those will be investigated," he said, though said it was not appropriate to compare examples. "Every case is different, the facts are different, who makes the threat matters, what the threat says matters." ### Conservatives have used it too The "8647" slogan has quietly become a code for opposition to Trump, circulating [in TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@stellaroseamelia/video/7503601039115914527?embed_source=121374463%2C121468991%2C121439635%2C121433650%2C121404359%2C121497414%2C121477481%2C121351166%2C121487028%2C121679410%2C73347566%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%2C121503376%3Bnull%3Bembed_name&refer=embed&referer_url=www.distractify.com%2Fp%2Fwhat-does-8647-mean%3Futm_campaign%3Dtrueanthem%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook&referer_video_id=7476123886594051358) posts and on [protest signs](https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1908714270109446290) in the months after he took office. The online publication [Distractify reported](https://www.distractify.com/p/what-does-8647-mean?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) in March 2025 that people use it to mean they don't want Trump to be president. "The message is vague about how exactly these people want to do that, but it seems that the point is to signal that you don't want Trump to be in the White House," it said. Merchandise stamped with "8647," from shirts and hats to bumper stickers and pins, are offered by vendors on sites like Amazon and Etsy. However, the trend didn't start with Trump. Plenty of "8646" items — a reference to former President Joe Biden — are for sale on online platforms too. NPR reached out to Amazon and Etsy to ask whether those items violate their seller policies prohibiting items that glorify violence. Some liberal critics on social media have said that Republicans did not seem to take issue when the same slogan — or even more violent rhetoric — was targeted at a Democratic president. They point to examples of violent rhetoric by the president and his allies, including Trump's [2024 post on Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112180192938619231) featuring a video of a truck driving on the highway with an image of Biden tied up on the back. In 2021, then-Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., was censured after [sharing an anime video](https://www.npr.org/2021/11/09/1053895408/paul-gosar-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-anime-twitter-video-backlash) of himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swinging swords at Biden. And some have found examples of prominent conservatives using the "86" slogan over the years, digging up far-right influencer Jack Posobiec's [2022 tweet](https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1487642601536864256) reading: "86 46." In 2024, then-Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., [used the term](https://x.com/mattgaetz/status/1762892328941879457) to describe Republicans who had been removed from office, which did not cause notable controversy at the time. _Editor's note: A version of this story_ [_originally published_](https://www.npr.org/2025/05/16/nx-s1-5400400/comey-trump-8647-investigation-instagram) _in 2025._

Watch: "I'm still innocent" - James Comey responds to second indictment Former FBI Director James Comey surrendered to authorities to face charges alleging that an image he briefly shared on social media posed a threat to the life of US President Donald Trump. The case stems from a 2025 Instagram post shared by Comey, which contained a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read "86 47". "Eighty-six" is a slang term for "get rid of", and prosecutors allege it encourages violence against Trump, the 47th president. Comey denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not know what the numbers meant, and accused the prosecution of political motivation. This marks the second time the justice department has brought criminal charges against Comey, a longtime critic of Trump.  "Cool shell formation," James Comey commented in a post on Instagram that included this picture. He later deleted the post. Comey now faces charges of threatening the life of President Trump. Comey did not enter a plea or speak during his brief appearance at a Virginia court on Wednesday afternoon. His attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, said the former director would seek dismissal on grounds of selective and vindictive prosecution - arguing he was targeted for speaking out against Trump. Judge William Fitzpatrick read the charges against Comey. He nodded as he was read his rights and later smiled back at his family when he was leaving, the BBC's US partner CBS News reported. Judge Fitzpatrick denied the justice department's efforts to set conditions of release for Comey, saying they were not necessary, according to CBS. Prosecutors have charged Comey with knowingly and wilfully making a threat to take the life of - and to inflict bodily harm - on the president, and also, knowingly transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to kill him. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. In a video statement on Tuesday, Comey said he was determined to fight the charges. "This won't be the end of it - but I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary." Watch: James Comey has created "tremendous danger", says Trump Comey's original post from May 2025 contained an image of the seashells on a beach that spelled out "86 47", with the caption, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk". Following a public outcry, Comey deleted the image and posted a follow-up note on Instagram. "I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assume were a political message," he wrote. "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down." Talking to reporters about the charges against Comey on Wednesday, Trump called him a "crooked man". "If anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86," Trump said. "It's a mob term for kill him. The mob uses that term to say when they want to kill them, they say 86 the son of a gun." When asked if he believed Comey's social media post was a threat to him, the president replied: "Probably." "People like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others," Trump said Some legal experts - and lawmakers - have questioned the strength of the charges. Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped "there's more to it than just the picture in the sand". "Otherwise, I just think it's another example where we're going to regret this because we're setting a fairly low bar," he said. Jimmy Gurulé, a former federal prosecutor and former assistant US Attorney General appointed by President George W Bush, said the new indictment was "an embarrassment to the American criminal justice system". On Wednesday, when asked whether the case will result in conviction, Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters that it had been investigated "for the past year". "If there's a prosecutor in this country that speaks about what a jury will do, they are not living up to their oath," he said. Blanche rejected the suggestion that there were political motives behind the case. "People should be very wary of threatening the life of President Trump because that is a crime. Full stop," he said. In his second term, President Trump has publicly implied that justice department officials should investigate his political adversaries. Comey was fired by Trump during his first term, after the former FBI director opened an investigation into Russian interference in the US 2016 presidential election. Since then, Trump has repeatedly called for his prosecution - Tuesday's charges are the administration's second attempt to do so. He was first indicted by a federal grand jury in late September on charges that he lied to Congress during testimony and obstructed a congressional proceeding. Comey pleaded not guilty in October before the case was dismissed in November. US District Judge Cameron Currie tossed the indictment because of prosecutor Lindsey Halligan's "invalid" appointment as US attorney. Halligan, the prosecutor in eastern Virginia who secured the indictments, was not authorised to present the charges to the grand jury, the judge said.

4 hours ago [Add as preferred on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=bbc.com) BBC "Cool shell formation," James Comey commented in a post on Instagram that included this picture. He later deleted the post. Comey now faces charges of threatening the life of President Trump. Observers experienced a tingle of déjà vu this week as they watched the Department of Justice indict James Comey on charges that he threatened his political rival, President Donald Trump. That was quickly followed by a social media video posted by the former FBI director, defending himself. Then on Wednesday, Comey made the obligatory trek to a federal courthouse, appearing before a judge. A nearly identical sequence played out last fall, when the justice department brought different charges against Comey - later tossed by a judge. And much like that first case, legal experts expressed scepticism about the department's allegations and a possible conviction. They pointed to the legal thresholds prosecutors must meet, constitutional free speech protections, and [Trump's public statements about Comey](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1wgg4vgeedo) as potential vulnerabilities for the prosecution. "It's a very weak indictment, and it doesn't seem to me that it's a chargeable case," said Evan Gotlob, partner at DarrowEverett and a former federal prosecutor. "This seems fit to get dismissed at some point." * [Comey surrenders over charge of threatening Trump's life in Instagram post](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70vzj1nrddo) Some lawyers predicted Comey will try to have the indictment thrown out on the grounds of "vindictive prosecution", a bid his team made in the first case. Comey faces two counts, one alleging he threatened to harm the president, the other for digitally transmitting the alleged threat. The case stems from an Instagram post Comey made last year, which depicted seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers "86 47". "47" may refer to President Donald Trump, while "86" is a slang term, often identified with the restaurant industry, which can mean to "eject" or "remove." The justice department argues that a "reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States." To convict Comey, prosecutors must now prove intent. "Prosecutors would need to prove that the seashell display was 'true threat,' which the Supreme Court has defined as a serious expression conveying that a speaker means to commit an act of unlawful violence," Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan who now teaches at the University of Michigan. The government also must show that Comey was reckless in making his post, and knew the risks of doing so, McQuade said. Comey deleted the initial post, explaining that he came across the seashells while walking on the beach and thought they were a "political message". "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down," Comey wrote in a follow-up Instagram post. Because "86" has multiple meanings and Comey stated he did not intend to make a threat, "I can't imagine that 12 jurors will be able to find Comey guilty unanimously beyond a reasonable doubt," McQuade told the BBC. But Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the charges, which were months in the making, then unveiled after an armed man targeted Trump and cabinet members at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday. It was the third apparent attempt on Trump's life in two years: Trump was grazed by a bullet at a 2024 rally, and several weeks later, an armed man staked out his Florida golf course while he played. "Of course, it's serious when you threaten the president of the United States," Blanche told CBS News, BBC's US partner. "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." Getty Images James Comey testifies to Congress in 2018. The new charges against Comey were "absolutely, positively not" politically motivated, Blanche said. "While many of you may view this indictment and view this matter as a simple investigation, it is the farthest thing from that," FBI Director Kash Patel said at a press conference. He said investigators had worked for "nine, 10, 11 months" on the case and pointed out that a grand jury had voted to issue charges. Rep Dan Mauser, a Pennsylvania Republican, told NewsNation that Comey's post was "concerning". It "could certainly be interpreted to mean to carry out violent acts," he added. But even some ideological allies of the administration seemed sceptical. Jonathan Turley, a conservative legal scholar who frequently has supported Trump and criticised Comey, argued the case could fail because Comey's post was protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. "I would prefer to crawl into one of Comey's conversant shells than write a column supporting him," Turley wrote in [a column for Fox News.](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-comeys-shell-post-may-crass-charging-free-speech-trap) "However, here we are. The fact is that I believe that this indictment is facially unconstitutional, absent some unknown new facts."

The US supreme court [has ruled](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf) that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. The court’s 6-3 decision is a major upheaval in US civil rights law and gives lawmakers permission to draw districting plans that weaken the influence of Black and other minority voters. Some states may even rush ahead to try to redraw districts before this year’s midterm elections. The White House called the decision “a complete and total victory”. “The color of one’s skin should not dictate which congressional district you belong in,” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether states should redraw their congressional maps in response to the ruling, [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) said: “I would.” Opposite reactions have poured in from lawmakers and civil rights groups, condemning the supreme court’s decision, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which called the ruling “a major setback for our nation”. [Barack Obama](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/barack-obama) warned that the decision frees “state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities – so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias’”. The US supreme court [has ruled](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf) that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act. In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the court rendered ineffective section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining powerful provision of the 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 specifically has long been used to ensure minority voters are treated fairly in redistricting [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/supreme-court-louisiana-congressional-map-case-ruling) [Pete Hegseth](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/pete-hegseth) has denied that the [US-Israel war on Iran](https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-israel-war-on-iran) is “a quagmire” and claimed critics of the operation posed a greater threat to the US than Iran itself, as he came under pressure to set out Washington’s strategy for the conflict. Appearing before the House armed services committee alongside Gen Dan Caine, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, the US defense secretary asked lawmakers to approve a $1.5tn budget in military spending – and then described some of them as “the biggest challenge” to the war effort. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/29/pete-hegseth-denies-iran-war-is-a-quagmire-as-estimated-us-cost-so-far-hits-25bn) [James Comey](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/james-comey), the former FBI director and political enemy of Donald Trump, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday at the eastern district of Virginia after the justice department indicted him this week for a second time. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/james-comey-second-indictment-surrender) Federal prosecutors provided in a filing Wednesday the most detailed account to date of Cole Tomas Allen’s alleged weeks-long plan to kill [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump), who had joined more than 2,500 members of the Washington press corps for their annual White House correspondents’ dinner. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooter-new-evidence) The Florida legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) launched before this year’s midterms. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/florida-legislature-congressional-map) The US may reduce its number of troops deployed in Germany, [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) has announced, days after the country’s chancellor said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/30/trump-threatens-to-reduce-troop-numbers-in-germany-amid-growing-row-with-nato-allies) The US [Federal Reserve](https://www.theguardian.com/business/federal-reserve) chair, Jerome Powell, will remain on the central bank’s rate-setting board after his term as chair ends in May, a contentious move that signals continued uncertainty at the Fed. Powell made the announcement after the Fed board on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged for the third time this year, despite Donald Trump’s continued demands for rate cuts. [Read the full story](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/29/fed-jerome-powell-decision-hold-interest-rate) What else happened today: ------------------------- Catching up? _Here’s what happened **[Tuesday 28 April](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/trump-news-latest-updates-today)**._

Surveys show China's factory activity expanded for a second month in April HONG KONG -- China’s factory activity expanded for a second straight month in April, according to an official survey on Thursday, as its economy remained resilient despite higher energy prices due to the [Iran war](https://apnews.com/hub/iran). The official manufacturing purchasing managers index slipped slightly to 50.3 from [50.4](https://apnews.com/article/china-manufacturing-economy-pmi-iran-war-1dece7eda196b93706091b7b52eef94a) in March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, better than what economists had expected. Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, a reading above 50 reflects expansion. The new orders sub-index slowed to 50.6 from 51.6 in March, although the sub-index on production rose slightly to 51.5. Higher oil prices have so far not weighed on industrial activity in China, Leah Fahy, senior China economist at Capital Economics wrote in a research note this week, and the recent acceleration of industrial activity appears to have been driven by strong export demand. Surging oil prices also are driving up global demand for green technology, a boon for Chinese companies that dominate manufacturing of clean energy equipment, she wrote. A private sector PMI survey by S&P Global and RatingDog, a Chinese credit research and analysis firm, was more upbeat. It showed China’s factory activity rose to 52.2 in April, up from 50.8 in March. The survey focuses more on smaller and export-focused private companies. [  ](https://abcnews.com/Politics/supreme-court-limits-voting-rights-act/story?id=132122248) [  ](https://abcnews.com/US/grand-jury-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey/story?id=132425678) [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-marines-uss-tripoli-seized-iranian/?id=132196152) U.S. tariffs on China have been lowered after a [Supreme Court ruling](https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9) earlier this year against U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. That means China’s exports to the U.S. could pick up in coming months, Fahy said. A long planned visit to Beijing by Trump to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month may help extend a year-long trade truce reached between the two leaders late last year. China’s economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in January-March, acclerating from the previous quarter and beating economists’ estimates. Chinese leaders have set a 4.5% to 5% economic growth target for 2026, the lowest since 1991. A prolonged property sector slump has weighed on domestic investment and consumption although exports remain robust, with China recording an all-time high of [$1.2 trillion](https://apnews.com/article/china-economy-trade-surplus-record-59f6fcc80ee3afc204a024f57766d319) trade surplus last year.

 圖像加註文字，「漂亮的貝殼造型，」美國前聯邦調查局局長詹姆斯·科米（James Comey）去年在Instagram上發布了這張照片並評論道。他後來刪除了這篇貼文。科米目前面臨威脅特朗普總統生命的指控 ... **Article Information** * * Author, 凱拉·愛潑斯坦（Kayla Epstein） 本週，美國司法部以威脅其政治對手、總統特朗普（Donald Trump，川普）的罪名起訴美國前聯邦調查局（FBI）局長詹姆斯·科米（James Comey），這讓觀察家感到似曾相識

President Donald Trump says he's removing certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after this week’s White House visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Thursday he is removing certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after this week’s White House [visit by King Charles III](https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-us-state-visit-trump-congress-4cd294e6333b4a9ba7ada2af4dd71aa9) and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump posted on social media. Trump said people had wanted this change, especially with regard to the wooden barrels in which the spirits of Scotch and bourbon can be aged. Trump has used alcohol as a pressure point in his tariff threats. Last year, he threatened a 200% tariff on European wine — a major potential blow to French and Italian vineyards that never came to fruition. [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-rubio-dismisses-iran-peace-proposal/?id=132444768) [  ](https://abcnews.com/Politics/supreme-court-limits-voting-rights-act/story?id=132122248) [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-marines-uss-tripoli-seized-iranian/?id=132196152) Foreign countries have responded in turn with threats on bourbon and other American products. In the end, the Trump administration exempted cork from tariffs, a huge relief to Portugal, the leading supplier of the material used to cap wine bottles.  [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-rubio-dismisses-iran-peace-proposal/?id=132444768) [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-marines-uss-tripoli-seized-iranian/?id=132196152) [  ](https://abcnews.com/Politics/supreme-court-limits-voting-rights-act/story?id=132122248) [  ](https://abcnews.com/US/grand-jury-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey/story?id=132425678)

Consider the following screed: “If any other President had the ability, foresight, or talents necessary, to build this ballroom, which will be one of the greatest, safest, and most secure structures of its kind anywhere in the World, there would never have been a lawsuit. But, because it is DONALD J. TRUMP, a highly successful real estate developer, who has abilities that others don’t … this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed. Again, it’s called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” The rant, with its tantrum of capitalization, has all the trademarks of a typical post from the president’s Truth Social account. But that is not its source. Rather, the tirade appeared in an official [legal document](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645.79.0.pdf) filed by the Department of Justice on 27 April seeking a court order that would lift legal barriers to the construction of Trump’s controversial East Wing ballroom. Although of minor significance against the larger erosion of the nation’s commitment to the rule of law, the justice department document provides disturbing insight into the deformation of the department into [Trump’s](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) private agency of grievance and vindictive score-settling. Having sacrificed its independence, impartiality, honesty and integrity to Trump, the department has now surrendered its voice. The facade of the Department of Justice’s building bears the words _qui p__ro Domina Justitia_ _sequitur_ – “who prosecutes on behalf of our Lady Justice” – but Lady Justice has been in effect replaced by the “very stable genius” whose visage hangs in front of the [department’s main entrance](https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/02/19/giant-trump-maga-banner-now-hangs-at-doj-headquarters/) in the form of a gigantic, multi-story banner that would be the envy of Big Brother. Drearily unsurprising, then, is the news that the former FBI director [James Comey](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/james-comey) has been [reindicted](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/james-comey-second-indictment-surrender). Trump has had it in for Comey dating from the FBI’s investigation into [Russian interference in the 2016 election](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/09/james-comey-fbi-fired-donald-trump), interference that was amply documented. Comey’s first indictment was [tossed out](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/judge-tosses-james-comey-letitia-james-cases-rules-prosecutor-was-illegally-appointed) on the grounds that the federal prosecutor who filed charges had been unlawfully appointed and so lacked authority to bring the case in the first place. This type of [prosecutorial incompetence](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-fires-bondi-as-attorney-general) – and not any reluctance to bow to Trump’s demands for revenge – resulted in Pam Bondi’s unceremonious boot from her perch as attorney general. Now the acting attorney general, [Todd Blanche](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/todd-blanche-attorney-general), presumably campaigning for permanent status, has proven himself more resourceful in deploying the awesome coercive apparatus of the federal government to go after Trump’s perceived enemies. Comey’s offense? Posting on social media an image of seashells arranged on a North Carolina beach [forming the numbers 86 47](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/16/8647-meaning-james-comey-instagram-trump). Beneath the image, Comey humorously [commented](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70vzj1nrddo), “Cool shell formation on my beach walk” – as if the formation were a natural occurrence. “47” obviously refers to Trump, the 47th president. As for the other two-digit number, my Webster’s tells me that to “86” is “to remove”, as in the “bartender had the rowdy guest 86’d.” Like examples follow: “The private club eighty-sixed a member who exposed himself at a party.” “The actor \[name\] was 86’d by the Academy.” Presumably, these statements mean that the guest was booted from the bar, that the club terminated the flasher’s membership, and that the Academy snubbed the actor. Or maybe they mean something altogether more sinister. Perhaps the bartender had the guest murdered, the club killed off the flasher, and the Academy had the actor rubbed out. That, in any case, is the gloss offered by Trump’s justice department. In defending a [justice department charge](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey-threats-harm-president-trump) that Comey “knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States,” acting AG Blanche soberly insisted: “Threatening the life of the President of the United States is a grave violation of our nation’s laws.” Going once step further, the FBI director, Kash Patel, [feverishly declared](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgz4rvlem5o): “James Comey disgracefully encouraged a threat on President Trump’s life and posted it on Instagram for the world to see.” How did we arrive at this Putinesque situation, where public servants can face prosecution for the most serious crimes for having crossed the Great Leader, while malefactors who enjoy the president’s good graces receive reprieves and rewards? We are powerfully reminded that institutions are only as principled as those occupying the levers of power. Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, the justice department has been gutted of principle and talent. [Close to 3,000 lawyers](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/lawyers-leaving-us-government-drive-workforce-shift-2026-01-29/) have quit, retired or been forced from office, representing over a quarter of the department’s pre-2025 corps of lawyers. Add to that the [thousands of agents and staff](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/inside-firings-shaken-trump-justice-050519243.html) who have likewise left or been terminated. But the loss of prosecutorial talent and expertise is only half the story. William Barr, who served as attorney general in the first [Trump administration](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration), was considered a fierce Trump loyalist, but Barr, to his credit, had his red line. He [refused to back the president’s great lie](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66388176) – that fraud had cost him the 2020 election. Measured against today’s justice department, Barr looks like a heroic defender of the constitutional order. Indeed, the litmus test of service in today’s department is a willingness to defend the big lie. And so, as Jeffrey Toobin has [recently documented](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/opinion/trump-judges-nominees-federal-courts.html) in the Times, Trump’s present crop of nominees to serve in critical prosecutorial roles share two things in common: a staggering lack of critical experience and a boundless willingness to do the president’s bidding. Indeed, the two traits work in tandem. For only cravenness can make up for an obvious lack of qualification. The threat posed by this unrelenting assault on the rule of law extends well beyond those who have earned Trump’s ire. The president’s [cratering popularity](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/22/trump-approval-slips-polls-midterms) suggests that Trump will work all the more tirelessly to interfere with the 2026 midterms. The possibility – no, the likelihood – that the Department of Justice will be a handmaiden to these efforts should be a source of the deepest alarm to all Americans. * Lawrence Douglas is the author, most recently, of The Criminal State: War, Atrocity, and the Dream of International Justice. He teaches at Amherst College

Less than 72 hours after a man was arrested for trying to assassinate [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) at the White House, the justice department rushed to court to make an extraordinary filing. The subject of the emergency was a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeking to halt the construction of a new White House ballroom. A federal judge [ruled](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/us/politics/trump-ballroom-judge-halt.html) earlier this month that construction had to stop, though an appeals court later paused that ruling. Filled with vitriolic language, the purpose of DoJ’s Monday filing was to make clear that the failed assassination attempt only strengthened the administration’s argument for why a new ballroom was needed. “Saturday’s narrow miss – which marks the third assassination attempt on President Trump since 2024 – confirms what should have already been obvious: presidents need a secure space for large events, that currently does not exist in Washington DC, and this court’s injunction stalling this project cannot defensibly continue, for the sake of the safety of President Trump, future presidents, and their families, cabinets, and staff.” The episode was one of several this week that underscores how the [Trump administration](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration) is willing to quickly capitalize on cases of violence to pursue its political goals. The administration deployed a similar approach after the killing of Charlie Kirk last year. In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, the Trump administration pledged to crack down on “antifa” and other leftwing groups, even as the motive for the shooting remained unclear. This week, following DoJ’s filing in the ballroom case, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, stood at a lectern at justice department headquarters to make another announcement regarding the president’s safety. A grand jury in North Carolina had indicted former FBI director James Comey with threatening Trump. The charges stemmed from a picture he posted on Instagram last year of sea shells arranged in the beach that said “86 47” (86 is often used as shorthand to get rid of something). The post was deleted and Comey apologized, saying he was not aware that 86 could convey violent intent. After nearly a year of investigating, the justice department chose to unveil the charges in the days after the incident at the White House correspondent’s dinner. “In a democracy, being critical of a leader does not get you thrown in jail. James Comey’s latest indictment is yet another example of President Trump abusing his power to target his perceived political opponents,” Mike Zamore, the national director of policy and government affairs at the ACLU, said in a statement. “The Trump administration has made it clear time and again: appease the president or you will face the wrath of the federal government.” The Federal Communications Commission also attempted to use its power to go after Trump’s critics in the wake of the Saturday shooting. On Thursday, two days before the White House correspondent’s dinner attack, ABC host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke saying Melania Trump “had a glow like an expectant widow”. On Monday, Melania Trump criticized Kimmel, saying his “hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy – his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.” Brendan Carr, the Trump ally who leads the Federal Communications Commission, quickly announced [it was speeding up](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/fcc-abc-jimmy-kimmel) a review of eight ABC local broadcasting licenses. Carr has denied it is related to Kimmel’s joke. “The first amendment and the FCC’s mandate do not permit the agency to use broadcast licenses as weapons to punish broadcasters for constitutionally protected content they air,” Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation. “The FCC is neither the journalism police nor the humor police.”

The acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, on Sunday defended [new criminal charges](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/james-comey-fbi-second-indictment) filed against former FBI head James Comey, insisting that the case was based on more than just an Instagram post from last year. The Department of Justice announced a [two-count felony indictment](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nced.227449/gov.uscourts.nced.227449.1.0_2.pdf) against Comey on Tuesday, charging him in connection with a picture he posted on Instagram last May. The picture displayed seashells on the beach arranged in a formation to say “86 47”. 86 is shorthand for getting rid of something, and Trump allies accused Comey of threatening violence against the president. Comey deleted the post, apologized, and said he didn’t know that’s what the expression meant and condemned violence. Comey has said he is innocent and denies any wrongdoing. Trump has long seen Comey as a political enemy and frequently disparaged him on social media. [Legal experts](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/prosecution-ex-fbi-chief-comey-over-seashell-post-is-flawed-experts-say-2026-04-30/), including [conservative allies](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-comeys-shell-post-may-crass-charging-free-speech-trap), have met the new charges with skepticism, seeing it as a thinly-veiled effort to punish one of Trump’s political rivals (a previous criminal case against Comey in Virginia was dismissed last year). Blanche, however, insisted on Sunday there was more to the case. “Rest assured that it’s not just the Instagram post that leads somebody to get indicted,” Blanche said [during an interview](https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/acting-ag-todd-blanche-says-comey-indictment-looks-beyond-a-single-instagram-post-262615109712) Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “You prove intent with witnesses, you prove intent with documents, with materials.” Pressed by host Kristen Welker on what additional evidence there might be, Blanche declined to offer any. “At the trial, a public trial, that will be open to the public, everybody in this country will know exactly what evidence the government has against Mr Comey,” he said. Blanche is said to want to be permanently named attorney general [and has moved aggressively ahead](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/todd-blanche-attorney-general) with cases targeting Trump’s political rivals in just the one month since he replaced Pam Bondi as the attorney general. Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, said the justice department would need to offer evidence beyond the picture to prove it was a worthwhile case. “If this whole case is based on a picture in the sand of a North Carolina beach, it again makes no sense to me,” he said during an interview on CNN’s [State of the Union on Sunday](https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/03/politics/video/tillis-comey-indictment-federal-reserve-chair-blanche-warsh-powell). “It better be more than just the picture. There have to be facts and circumstances beyond that to convince me.” Throughout the interview, Blanche also said career prosecutors and law enforcement officials had investigated the case. But experienced lawyers left the case earlier during the investigation, [Bloomberg Law reported](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/top-comey-prosecutor-parroted-trump-on-way-to-targeting-his-foe?taid=69f3b4d6563ff900012ae525&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter). The prosecutor handling the case is a former New Jersey city councilman from New Jersey whose main prosecutorial experience has been in Medicaid fraud cases. W Ellis Boyle, the acting US attorney for the eastern district of North Carolina, which is overseeing the case, had not been a prosecutor before being tapped for his current job last year, according to Bloomberg Law. Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California who has also been targeted by Trump, said on Sunday he had never seen such a weak case. “I think this case is likely to be thrown out even before it goes to a jury,” he said on NBC’s [Meet the Press](https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/-i-never-saw-such-a-weak-case-adam-schiff-slams-james-comey-indictment-262616133628). “It will absolutely be thrown out by a jury.”

On Wednesday, when FBI agents raided the office of one of the most powerful Democrats in Virginia, Fox News just happened to have [one of its Washington-based foreign correspondents on the scene](https://x.com/Fritschner/status/2052099009443959235?s=20) in the small city of Portsmouth. What an extraordinary coincidence! The raid targeted state Sen. Louise Lucas, the 82-year-old president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, who is nationally prominent for two reasons. Lucas was the [driving force behind the 10-1 Democratic congressional map](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/06/louise-lucas-fbi-virginia-00908222) that Virginia recently enacted to retaliate against similarly biased Republican maps drawn by red states. She’s also a pugnacious tweeter who gleefully mocks her political opponents online. After her congressional maps became law, Lucas posted an AI image of [four incumbent Republican members of Congress working at McDonald’s](https://x.com/SenLouiseLucas/status/2046989892018659370). There are [two possible explanations](https://x.com/Fritschner/status/2052099009443959235?s=20) for why this raid happened. As MS NOW’s Carol Leonnig reports, the Justice Department has apparently been investigating “evidence that \[Lucas\] solicited or accepted bribes” for three years. Three years ago Democratic President Joe Biden was in office, which suggests that the probe into Lucas is legitimate. At the same time, Leonnig also reports that Lindsey Halligan, a former insurance lawyer who Trump [illegally attempted to install as the top federal prosecutor](https://www.vox.com/politics/474356/lindsey-halligan-discipline-federal-judge) in eastern Virginia, pressured prosecutors to bring charges against Lucas prior to the midterm elections, believing that “it would be good for the White House to be able, before the midterms, to accuse a prominent state Democrat in Virginia with bribery.” Halligan was also a central figure in the [failed prosecutions](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump/470336/comey-james-cases-lindsey-halligan-us-attorney-kelly-investigation) of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James; last September, Trump appeared to [order former Attorney General Pam Bondi to target Comey and James](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727), both of whom Trump resents for investigating him in the past. Trump’s Justice Department has [since indicted Comey a second time](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump/487279/james-comey-indictment-seashells-threat-trump-blanche-revenge), claiming that a social media post where Comey arranged seashells to spell “86 47” was an explicit threat to kill Trump. Which brings us back to the fact that Donald Trump’s de facto state media outlet just happened to have a reporting team on the scene when the FBI raided Lucas’s office. It’s hard to imagine how Fox News could have known that it needed to have a reporter in Portsmouth unless the Justice Department tipped them off. The Justice Department did not behave this way in the past. As then-Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a 2022 press conference following an FBI raid at Trump’s Florida home, “we speak through our \[court\] filings and the cases we bring; [that is the only way we speak](https://archive.org/details/CSPAN_20221025_103100_Attorney_General_Announces_Criminal_Cases_Against_Chinese_Spies).” Legal ethics rules governing prosecutors [strictly limit their ability to make “extrajudicial comments](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_3_8_special_responsibilities_of_a_prosecutor/) that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused.” By politicizing the Lucas investigation, in other words, the Justice Department tainted its jury pool. This rule is grounded in the Constitution. When the government levies accusations against an individual that won’t be tested in a public trial, it [denies that individual due process](https://www.vox.com/policy/469461/doj-case-against-releasing-jeffrey-epstein-files). But there’s also a practical reason why prosecutors should avoid creating an unnecessary media spectacle around a criminal investigation. When prosecutors run a media campaign against a criminal defendant, that shifts the conversation about whether that defendant is guilty or innocent from a courtroom, where there are procedural rules and clear jury instructions, to a public forum where potential jurors may draw unpredictable conclusions. That’s doubly true when the defendant is someone like Lucas, who is more than capable of pushing her own opposing narrative to the press. And it is triply true when the defendant is a prominent political opponent of the prosecutor’s boss. By politicizing the Lucas investigation, in other words, the Justice Department tainted its jury pool. If Lucas is eventually arrested and brought to trial, prosecutors are going to have a tough time finding jurors who haven’t been exposed to media reports suggesting that the prosecution is a sham brought for an improper political purpose. Broadly speaking, there are three reasons why the Justice Department may have targeted Louise Lucas. The first is that she may actually be guilty of a serious crime. If that’s true, the questionable timing of this raid — shortly after Lucas successfully redrew Virginia’s congressional maps — the inclusion of Fox News, and the involvement of known bad actors such as Halligan are all easily avoidable errors by DOJ. Not long after the raid occurred, Lucas put out a statement accusing Trump’s DOJ of targeting her to “[intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to](https://x.com/SenLouiseLucas/status/2052161806865420779)” the Trump administration. She will no doubt spend the coming months pushing this narrative to everyone who could potentially serve on her jury. And the DOJ’s politicization of its investigation into her makes this narrative believable. A second possibility is that Lucas is innocent. Perhaps the Biden-era investigation into her uncovered no actionable evidence of criminal wrongdoing, and this raid happened solely because Trump’s DOJ thought that going after a prominent Democrat would help Republicans in the 2026 midterms. If that’s the case, the DOJ’s hamhandedness is likely to undermine that goal as well. The Lucas raid did not occur in isolation. It exists against the backdrop of the [prosecutions of Comey, James, and other political opponents of Trump](https://www.vox.com/politics/487895/supreme-court-callais-voting-rights-citizens-united). Fox News’s presence at the raid only adds to the impression that Lucas’s only real crime is being a Democrat. Persuadable voters — or, at least, persuadable voters who follow the news closely enough to be aware that a Democratic state senator’s office was raided by the FBI — will largely be aware of this broader context. So they are unlikely to be convinced by the Lucas raid that Democrats are corrupt. There’s also a third possibility, which is that Lucas actually committed a crime, but it’s not the sort of crime that the Justice Department would ordinarily prosecute. Law enforcement agencies unavoidably exercise discretion when deciding whom to target. This is why, for example, you’ve probably never been pulled over for driving 57 mph in a 55 mph zone. Criminal legal codes tend to be very expansive, and they often capture activity that is neither particularly morally reprehensible nor particularly harmful to society. Law enforcement also has limited resources, and it has to be selective about which potential crimes it actually investigates and who it arrests, even if it does uncover evidence that someone broke the law. The Supreme Court recognized that law enforcement must have this authority to exercise “[prosecutorial discretion](https://www.vox.com/scotus/2023/6/23/23771310/supreme-court-united-states-texas-ice-immigration-drew-tipton-brett-kavanaugh)” as recently as 2023. Because criminal codes often capture relatively innocuous conduct, prosecutors can potentially harass mostly law-abiding citizens by closely monitoring their behavior until they trip up and commit a crime. Historically, the Justice Department has had robust safeguards to specifically prevent harassment of elected officials. Until recently, for example, the DOJ required prosecutors to consult with the department’s Public Integrity Section before filing charges against a member of Congress — although Trump’s Justice Department [suspended this policy](https://www.vox.com/politics/462869/lamonica-mciver-prosecution-trump-authoritarianism) shortly before it brought what appear to be politically motivated charges against US Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ). All of which is a long way of saying that it may turn out that Lucas did commit a crime, but it was the sort of offense that the DOJ would have ignored if not for the fact that _this_ Justice Department is eager to target elected Democrats. One other factor looming over the Lucas raid is that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was formerly one of Trump’s personal lawyers, has not yet locked down his job. Blanche is the Senate-confirmed deputy attorney general, which means that he runs the DOJ unless and until the Senate confirms a permanent leader to replace Bondi, who [Trump removed last month](https://www.vox.com/policy/484729/pam-bondi-incomptent-justice-department). Bondi was reportedly fired because Trump felt that she was [ineffective in targeting his political foes](https://www.vox.com/politics/487895/supreme-court-callais-voting-rights-citizens-united). Blanche, in other words, has good reason to fear that he’ll wind up unemployed unless he succeeds where Bondi failed. So Lucas may have been targeted so that Blanche can prove to Trump that he deserves to remain attorney general. That also might explain why Fox News was present for the raid — Trump is an avid Fox News watcher. Blanche also has a history of [ordering questionable arrests against prominent Democrats](https://www.vox.com/politics/462869/lamonica-mciver-prosecution-trump-authoritarianism). In May 2025, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat, visited an ICE detention facility in his city and asked to tour it. He arrived shortly after three congressional Democrats who have a legal right to tour ICE facilities, also sought such a tour. After Baraka was turned away, a federal law enforcement officer was caught on video saying that “we are arresting the mayor right now, [per the deputy attorney general of the United States](https://www.vox.com/politics/462869/lamonica-mciver-prosecution-trump-authoritarianism)” — that is, Todd Blanche. The result was a chaotic scene where about 20 Homeland Security agents descended upon a crowd of protesters and the three members of Congress to place Baraka under arrest. After the charges against Baraka fell apart — a federal magistrate judge admonished prosecutors for “using the immense power of the government to pursue weak cases or to make examples without sufficient cause” — DOJ brought charges against McIver, who briefly pushed a law enforcement officer who was trying to reach Baraka away from her and said “get your hands off of me.” At this point, there’s not enough public information about the Lucas investigation to know if the potential charges against her are as much of a non-starter as the Baraka arrest, or whether she actually committed a crime that is worthy of prosecution. But given this Justice Department’s past behavior, and Blanche’s behavior in particular, there are good reasons to doubt whether Lucas’s office would have been raided if anyone other than Donald Trump were president. See More: