NBC’s Welker Grills Trump’s AG Todd Blanche On Comey Indictment in Showdown Interview: ‘Why Should the Public Believe’ It’s Not ‘Retribution?’

NBC’s Kristen Welker confronted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey — and whether it was an act of retribution against a perceived political enemy of President Donald Trump.

In a thorough interrogation on Sunday’s Meet the Press, Welker noted that the burden is on Blanche’s Department of Justice to prove that Comey intended to threaten the president’s life with an image he posted to social media which depicted seashells arranged to read “86 47.”

“How do you prove intent, Mr. Blanche, when Mr. Comey himself said he didn’t understand that some people would look at that and think about violence?” Welker said.

“You prove intent like you always prove intent,” Blanche replied. “You prove intent with witnesses, you prove intent with documents, with materials. So again, this is not just about a single Instagram post. This is about a body of evidence that the grand jury collected over the series of about 11 months. That evidence was presented to the grand jury. And it’s not the government. It’s not the Department of Justice. It’s not Todd Blanche that returns an indictment against James Comey. It’s the grand jury.”

Welker noted the criticism from Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley — who called the indictment “facially unconstitutional, absent some unknown new facts.”

“Are there, are you in fact saying that there are facts beyond this Instagram post that clearly establish an intent to threaten the president’s life?” Welker asked.

“I’ve said repeatedly this was an investigation that lasted 11 months,” Blanche said. “If the only facts that existed was the posting of the Instagram, obviously that wouldn’t have taken 11 months. And so when Mr. Turley talks about whether it’s facially unconstitutional absent unknown facts or circumstances, we will necessarily have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, at trial, every element of this crime — which we’re prepared to do.”

“Can you and will you let the public know what any of those other facts are?” Welker asked.

“Absolutely,” Blanche replied. “It’s called a trial. That’s what happens at every single case. We indict thousands of cases every year. Every one of those cases, there’s an indictment and then eventually there is a trial or some sort of disposition. 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.”

Welker then question whether others who depict the “86 47″ image would be subjected to criminal prosecution.

It is worth noting that on Amazon.com — we looked this up — there are dozens of products with the same terminology, we’re showing it right here, 86 47 being sold and purchased right now,” Welker said. “Should individuals selling or buying ’86 47′ merchandise be concerned that they’re going to be prosecuted by the DOJ?”

“This isn’t about a single incident, OK?” Blanche said. “I mean, of course not. That’s posted constantly. That phrase is used constantly. There are constantly men and women who choose to make threatening statements against President Trump. Every one of those statements do not result in indictments, of course. There are facts, there are circumstances, there are investigations that have to take place. And we have charged dozens and dozens of men and women this year with threatening President Trump and others. So this isn’t a new charge we’re bringing.”

“Just to be very clear, you are suggesting the seashells themselves are not at the root of this indictment?” Welker asked.

“No, I am suggesting that every single case depends on the investigation that’s done,” Blanche said, adding, “of course the seashells are part of that case.”

Welker then drilled down on whether the Comey case is part of an effort to seek retribution against a perceived Trump foe. Here was that exchange in full.

KRISTEN WELKER: Back on September 20th, President Trump publicly posted a private message to then Attorney General Pam Bondi pressuring her to prosecute Senator Adam Schiff, James Comey, and Letitia James, writing, quote, “They’re all guilty as hell. But nothing is going to be done. They impeached me twice, they indicted me five times over nothing. Justice must be served now.” Why should the public believe that any case brought against the individuals listed there is an independent law enforcement decision and not retribution?

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Well, because you have investigations and you have indictments and you have the result. I mean, listen, if years later you’re judged by a simple note from President Trump. By the way, that wasn’t a private message. That was a message delivered to the entire world. And so this is not being done behind closed doors.

KRISTEN WELKER: But it was meant to be private initially based on my conversations.

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: How do you know it was meant to be private?

KRISTEN WELKER: Based on my conversations, it was meant to be–

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Well, I’m not aware of those conversations–

KRISTEN WELKER: With top administration officials, it was meant to be private–

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: But President Trump–

KRISTEN WELKER: –and posted by mistake.

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: President Trump is very clear with the American people what he expects as president of the United States. That is not something he hides from the American people. He wants justice, he wants full investigations where appropriate. And by the way, that’s a good thing. That’s not a bad thing. Everybody in this country should want that. And so no, I don’t operate based upon concern or fear. The American people will know exactly what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

KRISTEN WELKER: And yet, Mr. Acting Attorney General, the Justice Department has already indicted former FBI Director James Comey, as you know, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. And a federal judge dismissed both of those cases. Why should people have confidence that this case will actually move forward and is rooted in fact?

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Well, let’s be accurate, okay? The judge dismissed those cases not based on a factual finding that President Trump did something wrong or that there was something wrong with the underlying facts leading to that indictment. The federal judge dismissed that case because he found that the U.S. attorney was not properly appointed. There was no final finding on the facts or anything like that. So those cases are on appeal. We will see what happens. But again, you’re comparing apples to oranges when you say, Just because that indictment was dismissed, there’s something wrong with the underlying investigation.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, again, he did directly push to have those people indicted. Charges were brought. And then they were dropped. Does that not undercut potentially the trust that people have in the Justice Department?

ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL TODD BLANCHE: Absolutely not. And by the way, do you think, or do the American people think that nothing was done on those cases until President Trump posted that truth in September? No, these are ongoing investigations. Investigations take time, investigations take effort. And so no, I am not concerned. What we do at the Department of Justice, the American people can judge us. And they will. And I’m ready to be judged because we’re doing the right thing. We’re restoring justice, which nobody saw for four years. There weren’t guests on your show for four years during the last administration being overly critical of what the Department of Justice was doing, and that was a problem and we fixed it.

Watch above, via NBC.

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