WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey taunted Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to “bone up on the rules” as he stares down the second indictment against him and once again stood by his decision to reopen the Hillary Clinton email probe in late 2016.
Comey, who was indicted late last month for allegedly threatening to kill President Trump in a May 2025 Instagram post calling for “86 47,” chided Blanche for telling the public the case is about more than that social media post.
“I don’t talk about the case because the federal court rules require you not,” Comey told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I would urge the acting attorney general to bone up on the rules.”
The number “86” is often used as slang for getting rid of something, while the number “47” refers to the 47th president, Donald Trump, according to prosecutors.
Comey quickly deleted the post after it ignited a firestorm.
A judge tossed out a prior indictment against Comey last year for allegedly making false statements to Congress. The DOJ slapped the second one against him last month.
The former FBI boss also slammed the Justice Department as “seriously broken at the top” but implored lower-level people to remain at the DOJ.
“I have great confidence in the people down below who are just trying to hang on. And I’m urging them, hang on,” he said. “In two and a half years, and then we can rebuild these institutions. But we need good people in those roles. America does.”
Comey acknowledged that “there are all kinds of things that I screwed up” during his tenure atop the FBI from 2013 through 2017.
Trump has long been furious with Comey over the Russiagate controversy and the Mueller probe he faced after firing him.
Democrats have raged against Comey for reopening the investigation into Clinton’s emails about 11 days before the 2016 election. Comey informed lawmakers about that decision, something he previously committed to doing, and it subsequently leaked to the media.
Clinton argued that cost her the 2016 election.
“I hope not,” Comey replied when asked if that decision helped Trump get elected. “My goal all of that year was to stay out of politics.”
The former FBI honcho pointed to the evidence that late-deciding voters broke for Trump in 2020 and 2024, in addition to 2016, doubting that his decision cost Clinton the election.
“But again, we made the decision because it was the least-bad option,” Comey added. “Both options sucked, honestly. But this was the one most consistent with the values of the department. So as painful as it is, I’d have to do the same thing again.”
