The Department of Justice has signaled that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer could face a federal investigation regarding a controversial emblem displayed during a 2020 appearance.
The news broke on Tuesday during a press conference where Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey on similar grounds, with a photo of ’86 47′ on the beach.
The focus of the potential probe involves an “86 45” sign visible in the background of a virtual interview Whitmer gave on “Meet the Press.”
In restaurant slang, “86” means to remove or cancel an item, while “45” refers to Donald Trump’s status as the 45th President. While Trump’s 2020 campaign previously accused Whitmer of encouraging violence, the matter has gained new legal weight following the charges against Comey for a seashell arrangement reading “86 47.”
When asked directly if Whitmer would be investigated for her past use of the slogan, Blanche did not dismiss the possibility.
“Every case is different. The facts are different. Who makes the threat matters. What the threat says matters,” Blanche told reporters. He emphasized that the Department of Justice intends to investigate all instances of threats against the president, regardless of the individual involved.
Blanche also pushed back against comparisons between different cases, stating, “It’s not fair to the American people… to compare, ‘well, if you did it here, why didn’t you do it there?'”
The original incident occurred just days after federal agents stopped a plot to kidnap and kill the governor.
At the time, Whitmer argued that then-President Trump was “incentivizing” domestic terrorism through his rhetoric. In contrast, Trump later questioned the legitimacy of the kidnapping plot at a Lansing rally and recently suggested he would consider pardoning some of the men convicted in the scheme.
READ: Seashells, Kitchen Slang, And Federal Indictment: A Growing Firestorm Over James Comey’s Arrest
The legal landscape surrounding these “86” slogans has tightened significantly with Comey’s indictment. Prosecutors allege Comey’s “86 47” post was a “knowingly and willfully” made threat.
As the DOJ moves forward with that prosecution, the focus remains on whether similar symbols used by high-ranking officials like Whitmer meet the federal threshold for criminal threats.
Governor Whitmer has recently taken a more conciliatory tone toward the Trump administration in its second term, even contacting the President to discuss the gravity of the kidnapping trials.
However, the DOJ’s latest stance suggests that past actions remain under the microscope as part of a broader crackdown on interstate communications containing perceived threats against the presidency.
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