"The single dumbest thing I’ve seen in my law enforcement career”

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Hi there, everyone. It's 4 o'clock in New York, breaking news this afternoon from the Department of Justice in its efforts to satisfy Donald Trump's insatiable appetite for political retribution. After previously trying and failing to target former director of the FBI, James Comey, the DOJ has secured a new indictment against one of Donald Trump's most prominent perceived enemies. We do not yet know... The full details of the charges against James Comey, and we are waiting on a press conference from the Department of Justice scheduled for this hour. But here's what we do now. The indictment has to do with this post, the former FBI director made on his Instagram account almost a year ago. Shells on a beach spelling out 8647 with the caption, Cool Shell Formation on My Beach Walk. The Trump administration has claimed that that post was a call for violence against Donald Trump because of the slang term 86 that usually means to get rid of something. Immediately after the post, the Secret Service had James Comey and his wife, Patrice, followed by law enforcement from their vacation home in North Carolina. all the way up the eastern seaboard to their home in the Washington, D.C. area, before James Comey voluntarily sat for an interview, and the Justice Department dropped the matter at that time. The former director of the FBI came on this program last year and explained that he thought the seashells that he says were put there by someone else were nothing more than clever political speech, but that he immediately deleted that post when people thought that he was somehow calling for violence. Watch what he told us then. So you, your position, even after all of this, the Secret Service calling you and bringing you in for questioning, is that the phrase, the message on the shells, was political speech and is political speech? Yeah, by somebody, I actually didn't think of it as political speech by me, but I thought, what a clever way to express a political view. The shells were... the same color for each of the letters, so different colors for the letters. It took a lot of work. Somebody with artistic flair did that, and I have a hard time believing it was anybody with a dark intention, and it certainly was no dark intention on my part and my spouse's part.

So what we have today, this revived attempt to target James Comey, by we should keep in mind acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, is coming at an important time for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. It comes weeks after Pam Bondi was fired, in some part, perhaps large part, for her failures in carrying out Donald Trump's retribution agenda. But it's not clear what new evidence of any exists or that Todd Blanche has uncovered to make this case successful now. Today's news of James Comey's indictment does, though, feel like a quintessential Trump news cycle. One crisis wiped off the front page by another crisis. But this breaking news is part of the very same slow motion collision that we've been covering for a decade now between Trump and those who dare to use their First Amendment right to criticize him. Donald Trump is locked in a cycle right now of political collapse held up by political retribution. And behind it all is a near obsessive whole-of-government campaign designed to stifle and punish speech that Trump does not like. Make no mistake, James Comey is being punished today for speaking out eight years ago about Trump's efforts to politicize the FBI while he was president the first time. Jimmy Kimmel is being attacked today for teleghing Donald Trump's frailties. Letitia James spoke through her legal filings the truth about Trump org being a fraud, so Trump sought to prosecute her. Law firms were attacked for standing with Donald Trump's political opponents, so Trump punished them. Universities have been attacked for creating safe spaces for criticizing administration priorities, so they too have been brought to heal. Artists have been purged from the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Center and replaced with cronies. Winners and losers have been picked in big media based on their political alliances. The list goes on and on and on. And every day they want us to think it's a new story, but it is the same story. It is the oldest Trump story. And at its core, And interestingly, perhaps the reason Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly are getting off the Trump train and stepping away from Donald Trump is because the truth of it is that Donald Trump is waging an all-out war on the First Amendment. And on free speech. That is where we begin today. Former Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI and National Security and Intelligence Analyst, Michael Feinberg, is back with us. Also joining us, the former director of the CIA and our senior national security and intelligence analyst, John Brennan, is here. Also joining a senior investigative reporter, Carol Lenig. Let me start with you, Director Brennan, because the reality is there is a similar zeal. to punish you for exercising or doing more than exercising your First Amendment rights, for doing your job as the then director of the CIA. What is it like to sort of watch this news come across the, it's not a wire anymore, but come across our devices?

Well, Nicole, an overused term is appalling. I find it appalling. James Comey served as a U.S. Attorney and the Deputy Attorney General for President George W. Bush. He served as the Director of FBI for President Barack Obama. It is absurd to think that James Comey would be advocating violence against anyone, much less of President of the United States. I served with James Comey during the last years of the Obama administration. He is somebody who, I think, served his country with integrity, with professionalism, and with determination to make sure that the rule of law was going to be followed. And so, as you pointed out, I think there has been a litany of these efforts over the past number of years, past year and a half by Donald Trump, to, you know, exact revenge against some of his perceived political adversaries. I feel very, very dismayed that James Comey is going through this and has to go through more of it. I am in that crowd of folks who has been targeted by Donald Trump. And it just shows just how much, you know, the Department of Justice has fallen. I was listening earlier today to the remarks of Queen Elizabeth when she addressed the joint session of Congress back in 1950s. And one of her lines was that we should never take the ideals of democracy for granted. And the rule of law and the use of the justice system is one of those real institutions and hallmarks of democratic principles. And it's so unfortunate that, you know, over the course of so many years, and I guess we were taking that rule of law and the Department of Justice's efforts for granted. But obviously we cannot now. And it's so unfortunate that individuals like Todd Blanche, who had a very, you know, respectable reputation before joining ranks with Donald Trump, is willing to appease Donald Trump by doing these things against individuals who serve their country, I think admirably and with a noble distinction. I want to be clear, we are not here because Matt Bill Gates has been indicted, but Matt Bill Gates in February of 2024 posted this. with the term 86. Quote, we've now 86th, McCarthy, McDaniel, Mitch McConnell, better days are ahead. Carolyn, you do, I understand, have the indictment. Tell us what you're learning. Yeah, it was just filed moments ago, Nicole, and forgive me for looking down at my phone during some of this. James Comey is charged with two federal counts of crimes, and they are first making specific threats against the president and his successors, and then also making threats across interstate commerce. And I just want to say that this is filed as we wrote a few hours ago in the Eastern District of New York, which had an open investigation. basically hours after James Comey posted this picture on or around May 15th, 2025 on his Instagram page. As you know, Nicole, he pretty quickly withdrew and took down this picture wanting to make clear to people that he thought it might be political speech by someone, pretty clever political speech, but he did not want anyone to

infer that he had any malevolent or violent intention or was trying to incite any violence. He was interviewed by the Secret Service after he drove home from his vacation in North Carolina back to his home in Virginia. The Protective Intelligence Division, which chases down anybody who is making threats online about the president, often goes out to places after a threat's made in a bar, after threats made online, after a threat is made at the Bill Gates of the White House, interviews those individuals, and that's what they did with James Comey. And these are the charges that are resulting today out of the Eastern District of North Carolina. The first time you said Eastern District of New York, I just want to make sure that you've got what I've got in front of you, the Eastern District of North Carolina, right. Yes. I'm uncomfortable to even read this, but this is an indictment, so I will. Michael Feinberg, count one on our about May 15th, 2025 in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The defendant James Comey did knowingly and willfully make a threat to take the life of an 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 8647 in which a reasonable recipient who's familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States. I mean, again, Matt Bill Gates posted, we've 86th, McCarthy-McDaniel Mitch McConnell, Better Days Are Ahead. Is there any reasonable interpretation that Matt Bill Gates meant we'd killed them? I mean, is this in law enforcement an accepted phrase that is associated with threats of death? No, I actually first learned the phrase when I was working the door at a bar in Chicago shortly after I graduated college, where we would use it to refer to ejecting on newly customers. So when I saw James Comey's post on Instagram from last year, I simply assumed it was a reference to removing the president from office. It is a very large leap to claim that that is a threat. of violence. And because of that, I don't want the phrasing I'm about to use to make light of how malevolent and destructive of constitutional norms this Justice Department is being with this indictment. But this is the single dumbest charging decision. I have ever seen in my entire law enforcement career or in my even longer career as an attorney. This is the definition of bad faith. As Director Brennan noted, James Comey was a career DOJ and FBI official dedicated to upholding the Constitution and enforcing the law.

But what's a little bit lesser known, although he talks about it in his book, is he and his brother were terrorized during a home invasion as children. The notion that somebody who went through what he did and served his country in the positions he did would ever inflict or even imply that he was going to inflict violence on another human being is beyond ludicrous. I want to play you some of James Comey in his own words when I asked him why he had faith that in the end, sort of the institutions would hold. Do you worry that his people will not treat you fairly now that you're under scrutiny? Sure, but we live in a reality-based world where people, if they're going to make accusations, have to make them in front of judges, have to put evidence forward, have to swear that things are true. I believe in our judiciary. I believe in that one remaining leg of our three-legged stool, that independent judiciary is alive and well and gives me great comfort. Is that what you think will backstop whatever comes at you from the Trump Justice Department? Sure. I wouldn't expect anything to come at me from the shell business, but anything that did come at me if I get more audits, more investigations, yes. Our saving grace, we still have a leg on our stool. If we lose that, I don't know where we are, but we have judges appointed by all different presidents of different parties who believe in the rule of law. And if you come into their courtroom, heaven help you if you're not telling the truth. That still exists in this country and should be a source of great comfort. So what he's referring to there, Director Brennan, is an IRS audit that he and you'd have to believe in a whole lot of coincidences to think it was coincidence that he and his former deputy, Mr. McCabe, also received from the IRS. Andrew McCabe and James Comey during Trump's first presidency had. forensic audits by the IRS that cost them thousands of dollars to go through. There was not any underpayment found. We know of the two attempts in the Eastern District of Virginia to indict him. This is the third that we know about. It's also been reported that... that James Comey is under investigation as part of, I believe, as part of the grand conspiracy delusions in Florida, where they're also interested in you. The obsession with James Comey and the public record of the audits and the two failed attempts to indict him that resulted in the illegal appointment of Lindsey Halligan, how does that play into? one's defense. If, as James Comey said in his own words, quote, the independent judiciary is alive and well and it gives me great comfort.

Well, I think it's clear that there's a fair amount of malicious prosecutions that are going forward. And as we will know, a grand jury is presented the argument by the Department of Justice representative at that grand jury. And it's a very one-sided representation of the facts, which is why, you know, as they say, you can indict a ham sandwich with the grand jury, because, again, it's a one-sided representation. of at least what the Department of Justice says happened. So I think what Jim is relying on is that once there is a full airing of this, whether it be in a court or in front of a judge, that reality will take over and the absurdity of these allegations, I think, will be revealed. But the intention, I think, of the administration and this Department of Justice and its leadership is to harass, is to cause great harm, you know, financially, reputational. and so on, to the individuals. I think they realize that they're never going to get a conviction in these cases. But, again, their intention is to do everything impossible to punish those who had the audacity, either, as you said before, to do their jobs when they were in government, or to take issue with Donald Trump publicly. So, again, I'm sure that James Comey is fully confident that at the end of the day, He will be fully exonerated from any of these allegations. But to get there is going to be challenging, and it's challenging for many of us. I want to... share or sort of add to your extensive reporting about this Department of Justice, Carol, something, an item from today's New York Times. They write this. Todd Blanche targets Trump's enemies amid jockeying to lead the Justice Department, quote, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general is doing what he can as quickly as he can to shed the acting label. Todd Blanche is striving to silence critics on the right. with a conspicuous salvo of actions to demonstrate progress on the president's priorities, among them, payback against Trump's adversaries. At Todd Blanche's urging, the Justice Department is moving ahead with investigations into several high-profile targets. Our colleague Lisa Rubin writes that today... Reuters, CNN, and Fox reported that DOJ and the FBI executed search warrants on 20 businesses in Minneapolis as part of DOJ's social services fraud investigation. In a Maryland federal court, DOJ indicted a former aide to Anthony Fauci on grounds that he conspired to destroy government records. This is someone doing a lot of things really quickly with the obvious coordination on the timeline. of being given a tryout, I guess. He's the acting attorney general who very much wants to be the actual attorney general. Yes, much of the many of the steps that acting attorney general Todd Blanche has taken, really starting two weeks ago, have been a hard.

press audition for this job. I'm starting with a news conference where he said, you know, he hoped to serve the president and said, I love you, sir, in reference to the president. He's kind of led the way in the narrative of the ballroom. Let's let's not just put aside, put aside what John Brandon properly described as kind of these. these nutty cases without evidence that are being pushed forward. There's also, in addition to what appear to be really vindictive prosecution, selective ones, vindictive against people he doesn't like, Todd Blanche is also taking up the cause of the president at every step. After the shooting, where Todd Blanche and I were both dinner guests, forgive me, the shooting and scuffle, shooting by officers and the breach by a gunman, trying to get into the ballroom and kill and assassinate Trump and other Trump administration officials. Todd Blanche took to the podium to explain the president's argument for a White House new ballroom was completely vindicated and had to be endorsed by the court. He asked for the foes of that ballroom construction to drop their objections because it was clear in his argument that the shooting made it obvious. We had to have this new White House ballroom that the president is pretty fixated on. So everything the president likes, Todd Blanche seems to like, and is putting into overdrive to accomplish it. It is stunning. And again, I'm just struck by how old the story is, right? Someone sees an opportunity to climb. this ladder, which is like Trump's ballroom designed the staircases to nowhere. And they act in a way that Trump folks have been acting for the better part of a decade. I'm going to ask all of you to stick around. We do expect to hear from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche this hour. Also ahead for us in the hour, standing up to Donald Trump from... Tell me, to Brennan, to Jimmy Kimmel, to anti-ice protesters around the country, to democratically elected officials, how people are doing their part to fight back against Trump and the bullying tactics. One of those voices and also one of the lattice and most successful ones who has pushed back in these 15 months, Governor J.B. Pritzker will be our guest coming up. To that point, we'll tell you about the latest move by Trump's FCC to silence Jimmy Kimball today. We have all those stories and much more when Deadland White House continues after quick. Break. Don't go anywhere. A morning walk, some bird watching. It's another easy Sunday. United Health Group makes these ordinary days possible with partners like the University of Tennessee Health Sciences, helping communities manage their health closer to home.

action needed to execute on it, but rather what is going to make our audience of one happy? And that's true for Todd Blanche. It's true for Kash Patel. It's true for Markwayne Mullin. None of these people are going to stand up for the rule of law, and none of them are going to stand up for constitutional norms. None of them are even going to motion or faint at doing the right thing if doing so is going to upset Trump. I think what we're going to see is whatever the president wants. Carolyn, I read the Matt Bill Gates post. We've now 86, McCarthy, McDaniel, Mitch McConnell, that our days are head for the Republican Party. Do we know if the administration scrubbed their own insiders to see if this restaurant term was ever deployed on a T-shirt or any merch sold by any of Trump's political action committees? I have not personally done that, but I'll tell you why I haven't, Nicole. To Mike Feinberg's point, the standard for bringing this charge, and when I say bringing, I mean going to a grand jury and presenting it, is that you have a reasonable basis, you have a good faith belief that you'll be able to sustain this conviction and follow through at trial. This doesn't really meet the reasonable test that James Comey, in posting a picture of some shells with a message, intended to incite violence and inflict violence on the president of the United States, and that he was engaged in transmitting a violent threat through interstate commerce, which is the other charge. Just as when the government claimed that he had lied intentionally to Congress, And prosecutors concluded there was not a good faith basis to believe they could bring a conviction and sustain it at trial. Here we have a grand jury charge that's been obtained, an indictment that's been obtained without that reasonable person standard. I also, if you don't mind, Nicole, I'd like to also mention something you didn't ask about, which is the arrest warrant. There has been an arrest warrant issued on the docket while we were, I think, in break or at the end of the last panel when we were talking. And it is sealed. And so I can't tell you much beyond that. But what I have heard from sources is back to John and Michael's point about the audience of one is that the audience of one wants a perp walk. He wants James Comey. Basically, you know, arrested on camera, arms behind his back, cuffed, and walked in the courthouse, again, with cameras rolling, maximum sort of embarrassment and humiliation. And we'll see what that sealed arrest warrant says, but that's something that James Comey's folks are preparing for, the wish of the president to see the former FBI director that he praised so much at the beginning of his first term.

again, humiliated on camera. Director Brennan, I keep thinking of your global network of sources. relationships through your storied career. And I wonder if all the people who counseled Charles III not to come to America while Trump was president are saying, see, Donald Trump is doing the most banana republic thing today while you're all over Capitol Hill while you were at the White House. This looks like you were eating cake while he burned down America's democracy. How does America look around the world on a day like today? Well, I think the way that the king spoke to the American people, spoke to Congress, it stands in stark contrast to the language and the rhetoric that Donald Trump uses. The king was, I think, just the epitome of decency and dignity and talked about the things that really are important to our collective security, whether it be the transatlantic alliance or NATO or the environment and other types of things. So I think the people around the globe are just shaking their heads, just in wonderment about how the United States has just shifted so rapidly from what it was in terms of the bulwark of democratic principles and countering all the anti-democratic forces around the globe to what it is today. And, you know, getting back to Todd Blanche is going to be appearing shortly. And I can understand the egos in Washington and people who have ambitions and trying to get ahead and maybe get appointments. But I can't understand why someone like Todd Blanche would be willing to destroy individuals like James Comey and destroy his family and do everything possible. just to appease Donald Trump. Doesn't Todd Blanche have a conscience or have some ethical, you know, standards or whatever, but it seems as though some many of these individuals are willing to just trash others, including, you know, public servants, civil servants who have served this country over the course of many decades. That's the thing that I just cannot understand the mean-spiritedness and the nastiness of these individuals and what they're doing to fellow American citizens. Well, I think conscience is trumped by ego, and we'll watch that now. The grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment against James Comey on two counts. The first count is at honor about May 15th of last year. He knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of and to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States. Count two. Same day, May 15th, 2025, that the defendant, James Comey, knowingly and willfully transmitting an interstate commerce of communication that contained a threat to kill the President of the United States. Both of these counts carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

So 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. Over the past year... This department has charged dozens of cases involving threats against all sorts of individuals. We take these seriously every single one of them. For example, just today in the Northern District of Florida, there was a guilty plea from an individual who threatened multiple political leaders, including President Trump. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, where this case was indicted earlier today, there are multiple threats cases very similar to this one, including one where the defendant pled guilty recently to threatening former President Biden, another one that's scheduled to go to trial this summer, another one indicted, an individual was divided, was indicted for threatening Tom Homan. I say that to say that 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. I want to take a moment to thank the hardworking members of the FBI who investigated this case over the past 11 months or so, the United States Secret Service, who also assisted in this investigation, and the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, led by United States Attorney Ellis Boyle, who's standing to my right. This was an investigation that remains ongoing. That's been ongoing for about a year. And that's all we're going to say about it today. I will let the U.S. Attorney Boyle speak now and then after that, Director Kash Patel. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Attorney General. Earlier today, a grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned a true bill and dining Mr. James Comey with committing two felonies. Count one, he knowingly and willfully made a threat to kill and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States and violation of 18 U.S.C. 871A. Count two, he knowingly and willfully transmitted an interstate and foreign commerce, a communication that contained a threat to kill President Trump in violation of 18 USC 875C. Mr. James Comey will be given every form of due process all citizens are entitled to receive.

to include a trial by a jury of his peers. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, it doesn't matter who you are. We take all threat cases seriously and prosecute anyone who violates federal law, regardless of title or status. Thank you. Thank you. As you heard from the Attorney General and the U.S. attorney, former FBI director, James Comey, has now been indicted for two felony counts. While many of you may read this indictment in view this matter as a simple investigation, it is the farthest thing from that. Every single investigation, this FBI and our partners at the Department of Justice undertake, especially those that involve the threats to harm or hurt or even kill individuals, whether they behold public office or civilians in our country, are met with the same measure of investigative prowess and tools and personnel and partnership with the Department of Justice as anyone else. As the U.S. attorney indicated, James Comey will be afforded every matter of due process under the United States Constitution. And as the Attorney General indicated, this has been a case that's been investigated. over the past 9, 10, 11 months. These cases take time. Our investigators work methodically. They are career agents, career prosecutors who work these matters. They call the balls and strikes in the field as they see fit pursuant to the facts of the case in the law. They took that information and made a presentment to a grand jury, a jury of a peers in the district in which the alleged crime took place, and that grand jury spoke, and that grand jury returned a two-count indictment against James Comey. James Comey allegedly threatened the life of the President of the United States. And as you all now know, shortly after posting that threat, he deleted that threat and then issued an apology. All of that information was presented to the grand jury. And Mr. James Comey will have his day in court and his ability to speak to a jury of his peers. Thank you. Thank you. We'll just take a couple of questions. Mr. General, the Justice Department in this filing today also issued an arrest warrant for Mr. James Comey. Is it your belief that he is a continued public threat? And is there a request also for detention that you anticipate will be made in this case? So the Department of Justice does not issue arrest warrants, grand juries do. And so the grand jury returned and I've in an arrest warrant. I expect that there will be communication with Mr. James Comey's counsel and we'll go from there. This case will proceed like hundreds of others do every year. There will be some sort of arraignment set by the judge or assigned to the magistrate judge. And when that happens, you'll know about it. But this is being handled differently from the last time he was indicted. That's my reference. In this case, the department requested an arrest warrant, right? Well, I don't think that it's...

public or clear what the department requested, the grand jury issued an arrest warrant. Go ahead. Yes. Sir, how will you prove intent when, as the director had acknowledged, Mr. James Comey said he did not associate 86 with doing harm and he took it down promptly said it was political speech, not an intent to harm the president? Well... It's not, it's not, this case was indicted today. This conduct occurred about a year ago, May 15th of last year. There's been a tremendous amount of investigation, and how do you prove intent in any case? You prove intent with witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself to the extent, to the extent it's appropriate, and that's how it will improve intent in this case. And so I think that talking about, um, what Mr. James Comey will or not do if there's a trial, when there's a trial. It's not as very premature for me to do that today. Terrible. General Blinch, I want to ask you a quick question about there's a number of other different types of conduct James Comey has been accused of over the past. One of them is abuse of FISA warrants. I wanted to ask if there's anything that we could talk about today in regards to that, but on a separate matter, if I may ask any more updates about the ballistics forensic analysis with the shooting that happened over the weekend? So on the first question, no, there's nothing else to report about any investigations or... Anything involving Mr. James Comey except the indictment that was returned today by the grand jury. I don't have anything further to talk about with the ballistics that are still being analyzed. And I said it on yesterday. And every law enforcement. member who is speaking on this issue is saying the same thing as they should, which is that this is an ongoing investigation with really, really smart experts trying to understand what happened in that shooting and where the bullets went and ended up and where the bullets came from. And once that is at a place where we can definitively say, to the extent we can definitively say, we will let you know. Director James Comey posted this almost a year ago. Why bring this case now? Did you always feel like this was a strong prosecution or did something change recently? This investigation just didn't come now. It's the result of a lot of work by law enforcement over the past year. We don't time when we bring cases around anything other than when the investigation is at a place where... we should go to the grand jury. And that's exactly what we did in this case as well. As a former FBI director, you may not agree with what he did. Should he be able to turn himself in as a former FBI director? He's not a flight risk. I didn't say he can't turn himself in.

So he's not under arrest right now, and he may be able to know whether he's under arrest right now. I'm here talking to you. The grand jury issued an arrest warrant. I think that the way that this happens is different in every case. It's fact intensive. It depends on who you're right, who the defendant is. It depends on whether he has counsel. It depends on what the judge wants done. And so I don't know when the judge will schedule an initial arraignment, if that will be scheduled by the magistrate or the district court judge. I am sure, I don't know if you want to speak to that. or if it's just something that will come up in the next coming days, you'll know when it happens. As far as what Mr. James Comey does between now and then, I'm going to leave that up to the line prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the FBI agents, and the work that they're doing. Why, Director Kash Patel, maybe you said that it's a complicated thing. A lot of people might think it's an easy case. Why did it take so long? I know that you guys chose to go with this now, but to the layman just looking at this case, or layperson looking at the case, it was an Instagram post. apologized, why did it take so long? Well, I'm not going to get into the details of the investigation itself, but a lot of these cases, you could look at when the threats were made and when charges are brought. They're not easy cases. And so we have to, there's a communication that's sent allegedly in this case. And so that means that we have to look at devices. Mr. James Comey is a lawyer. He has lawyers. So the extent that we're looking at materials that. are potentially privileged, we have to get a wall, set up a wall, and let totally independent lawyers look at those. And so that doesn't happen overnight or quickly. And the statute of limitations of this is five years. We brought it in under one year. So that's really where we're at. It's clear that you don't want to talk specifics today. But to the American public, can you at least give us a system whether you have hard evidence or evidence that shows that Mr. James Comey intended for President Trump to be harmed, and then secondarily, for critics who say, where does free speech end and an actual threat of violence begin? I don't know what critics say that, especially today, but it's not a very difficult line to look at, and it's not in my mind a difficult line for one to cross over one way or the other. We cannot. You are not allowed to threaten the president of the United States of America. That's not my decision. That's Congress's decision in a statute that they passed that we charge multiple times a year. And so whether there is a defense, as you just described, maybe. Maybe there is, but the government will have evidence. I am not going to talk about the evidence that we have. That's unfair to him. It's unfair to the prosecutors, but it's enough to say that the grand jury returned in a indictment. I'm just to take one more question. Thank you, sir. Mary Margaret with the Daily Wire. Should we expect more indictments of this sort? For example, in 2020, Gretchen Whitmer did a TV hit with 8645 on her desk in the background? Is that the kind of thing you would pursue? And then just really quickly, should James Comey expect to face more charges for his role in the Russia collusion investigations? I'm not going to comment on other investigations involving Mr. James Comey. He was indicted in the East District of Virginia that was dismissed on procedural grounds because of

the judges finally regarding the U.S. attorney. So that case is under appeal. As far as other investigations that are happening, it would not be appropriate or fair for me to comment on that time. As far as other instances of threats against the President of the United States. Those will be investigated. Every case is different. The facts are different. Who makes the threat matters? What the threat says matters. You're right. The question about intent matters. And we have to prove that. That's something that's our job. And that's something that prosecutors will have to do in front of a jury at the right time. But you cannot compare. It's not fair to the American people. It's not fair to the defendant. And it's certainly not fair to the prosecutors to compare, well, if you did it here, why didn't you do it there? Every case is different. But there's one thing that will never be different, which is that you cannot threaten to kill the president of the United States. Full stop. All right. Thanks a lot, guys. Did President Trump's message to Pam Mitt Romney saying that he was guilty as hell? A morning walk, some bird watching. It's another easy Sunday. United Health Group makes these ordinary days possible with partners like the University of Tennessee Health Sciences, helping communities manage their health closer to home. 54% of participants have lowered their blood pressure, meaning fewer heart attacks and more Sundays at the park. This might feel like an ordinary day. To United Health Group, it's the healthcare system working better for everyone. Learn more at UnitedHealthgroup.com slash commitment. What if upgrading your windows and doors didn't mean tightening your budget? Scratch that. What if it meant spending nothing today? For a limited time, Renewal by Anderson is offering no money down, no monthly payments, and no interest for 18 months on a minimum of six. That means beautiful, energy-efficient windows and doors while the payments wait. Visit Renewelbyandersonhome.com today and see how easy it is to buy now and pay later. Everyone's talking about protein lately, but how do you actually get enough of it? Muscle milk. Muscle milk has a great-tasting new formula with no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or added colors. It's high-quality, complete protein designed to support healthy muscles with fewer ingredients than the previous formula and 26 to 42 grams of protein. For when you're stuck in meetings or need a post-work recovery, available in chocolate, vanilla cream, cookies and cream, and strawberries and cream. Try the new great-tasting muscle milk today. Available in stores nationwide. Muscle milk, protein for all. There you have it. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending charges that Michael Feinberg, I think you used the technical legal term to describe them as dumb earlier. I just want to put up posts that Donald Trump released when Joe Biden was president. This is Joe Biden bound and gagged, post disseminated by Donald Trump.

This original account is in the back of that pickup truck. 8646 merchandise is available online right now. 46, obviously, the only difference was she, 8647 and 8646 is the president that 86 is referencing. And again, Matt Bill Gates used the term. We are not aware of any criminal investigation into Matt Bill Gates or any wellness checks for the individuals that he describes as, quote, 86, McCarthy, McDaniel, and Mitch McConnell. Your thoughts, Michael Feinberg. I did use the technical legal term dumb, and I worry that that imposed a level of jocularity that might not be appropriate right now, simply because this should be a mournful day for our country. This is just one more incident in the erosion of rule of law, which has been occurring since January 20th of last year. It's not just through the actions of Donald Trump. He is who he is. Nobody expects any different. But we just saw a former assistant U.S. attorney, someone who once was a public servant, who took seriously an oath to the Constitution and a duty to uphold judicial norms. And he eventually became Donald Trump's personal attorney in private practice. which no one can fault him for. Everyone has a right to vigorous defense counsel. But since he has stepped foot in the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. building with this administration, we have watched Todd Blanche diminish himself as a human being, as a public servant, and as an American every day of his tenure with every... that cuts against every norm of our Constitution and our judicial system that he carries out with vigor simply to abase himself in front of a president who, if history shows us anything, shows us that he eventually will cast Todd Blanche aside too. So why is he sacrificing his integrity? Is his thirst for power that great? Is his lack of knowledge about Trump's own history and how he treats his cabinet that great? We're watching the tragedy of a nation day by day, but also the tragedy of an individual's life. Can you look at how Todd Blanche has acted over the past year and a half? and even fathom that he is now sitting in the same office that Robert Jackson once sat in, or Edward Levy. It's inconceivable. Were we not seeing it with our own eyes? How quickly the Justice Department has utterly collapsed in every way possible. And that's something as Americans that should concern and sadden us.

There is a hubris, John Brennan, in thinking that anyone will be different. Donald Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, described Donald Trump this way as, quote, the most damaged human being he'd ever known. Jim Mattis, Donald Trump's former Secretary of Defense, described him as a, quote, dictator. Senator Mitch McConnell described him as a, quote, despicable person. JD Vance described him as, quote, America's Hitler and, quote, cultural heroin. Tucker Carlson, less than a week ago, apologized for his role in getting people to vote for him. But today, Todd Blanche doubled down on him. What is that? pretend for the department and for you. Well, I think it's been alluded to. Todd Blanche clearly was continuing to audition for the nomination to be Attorney General. And he was signaling his determination to follow through on Donald Trump's every wish. And he was signaling it to Donald Trump himself and, you know, performing in front of this group. And it's clear that, as Michael said, There's not one shred of decency left in Todd Blanche. And again, doing it and hurting people in the process is what I find just so, so reprehensible. But it shows the depth of the corruption that has taken root in the executive branch and in the Department of Justice. And if the American people cannot count on a Department of Justice, to fairly implement our system of justice, the rule of law. Everybody should be so, so concerned about it. I've never seen any type of departmental actions like this. And, you know, bringing these charges against James Comey and the other initiatives that happened away, Pam Bondi couldn't or wouldn't deliver on those wishes of Donald Trump, but it's clear that Todd Blanche is willing to. And I do think it portends more likely initiatives to try to get these indictments and to move forward with prosecutions, because again, I think the intent of Donald Trump is to hurt and harm and try to destroy as much as possible any individual that he wants to seek retribution against. Carol Enig Federalist Society member, Danielle Sassoon, this may be the first political resignation. She represents the conservatives, conservative legal mind, followed by Eric Siebert. He was a conservative attorney in good standing with MAGA. He resigned over the first attempt to indict James Comey in the Eastern District.

Virginia, Chris Christie, one-time Republican standard bearer has criticized Todd Blanche's conduct as Attorney General. It says Ty Cobb. I mean, the calls are all coming from deep inside the right-wing side of conservative legal circles. What is left? Wow. I was just thinking about when you were talking, about the firmament of career prosecutors who view themselves not through a political lens, but many of whom consider themselves pretty conservative on the political spectrum. They don't make politically designed or guided decisions, but many who view themselves as pretty pro-prosecution and Republican, at least in their personal or their family lives. And Those individuals are really gutted by what's happened. They said that the turning point for them in this Justice Department, the litmus test for everything. falling apart was when James Comey was first indicted. And that was for allegedly lying to Congress. That same sort of bedrock of the Justice Department. And again, the bedrock especially of FBI agents who definitely lean Republican. they're mortified now that there's a second charge this time about a seashell picture. I noticed that Todd Blanche said just now at the podium that we are never going to allow. We're never not going to seek accountability. It's never going to be okay to make violent threats against the life of the president of the United States. I think if you did a man on the street of who thinks that picture was a threat against the life of the United States, I think you know the tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of people who could even identify it as a threat.

Todd Blanche said, we're always going to treat these cases the same. The only thing different is the fame or the name of the person who's the defendant or the suspect in this case. He mentioned a charge of threat against the president's life that they had just charged in Florida. But Todd Blanche didn't go to the podium along with Kash Patel and the acting U.S. attorney to announce those charges from... the main justice headquarters. The only place where he's playing to the Kleglites is where the person on the other side of USV is James Comey, one of Donald Trump's, you know, targeted enemies. We should also just let the record reflect that this is the third thing they have gone in and sought. an indictment for James Comey for. So the variable here is not actually the conduct. It's the person they're trying to indict. James Comey was, as Carol alluded to, a grand jury heard evidence about a line to Congress charge. He is reportedly of interest in the grand conspiracy, and this is the third one. And importantly, I know it feels like forever ago, but on his first day as president, thousands of people whose mission statement was, quote, hang Mike Pence. which is certainly a clear articulation of political violence were pardoned by Donald J. Trump. And I'm pretty sure Todd Blanche was at the Department of Justice at the time. But I'll double check. Director John Brennan, Carol Enig, Michael Feinberg, thank you so much for spending the hour with me. After the break, how to put an end to the Trump era. Governor J.V. J.B. Pritzker joins us next with that advice. about how that happens through our elections, to our political process. The next hour, Deadline White House starts after a quick break. Don't go anywhere. Watch Disclosure Day at Home Now with exclusive bonus features. If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you? Would that frighten you? Well, now the truth belongs to 7 billion people in an original event film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Kep starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Coleman Domingo. Find Disclosure Day on major digital platforms now with no subscription required, also in theaters.