President Donald Trump has been taking aim at his political enemies through his weaponized Department of Justice for more than a year now, since retaking office for a second term, but he’s been mostly unsuccessful in what critics call his personal attempts at revenge. That hasn’t stopped him from continuing his spiteful vendetta against a range of high-profile opponents, people he believes have wronged him, including former President Barack Obama, former presidential rival Hillary Clinton, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, members of the Fed board, and a range of lawmakers from both parties. Todd Blanche listens as his client, former President Donald Trump, speaks as he arrives at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, May 30.(Photo: Michael M. Santiago/AP via POOL Getty Images) But critics say his latest target, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, may be one of the weakest legal cases of all, even flimsier than a similar one against former FBI Director James Comey, if the Justice Department decides to go after her. Like Comey, Whitmer used an “8645” symbol in the background of an interview she did in October 2020, more than five years ago, according to the Detroit News. ‘Need to Cheat to Win’: The Supreme Court Just Handed Republicans a Weapon Against Black Voters, and They’re Already Using It to Erase Democratic Seats Off the Map At the time, the Trump administration accused Whitmer of using the “86” reference as “shorthand for killing someone,” the News reported, but the governor said the term “86ing” was used in the same context the restaurant industry uses it to indicate a menu item is no longer available or to remove a customer, essentially remove Trump from office. Lawyers can arguably make the same case for Comey’s use of the phrase. Still Michigan Republicans have suggested the DOJ could charge Whitmer, similar to the new charges against Comey, and have “left open the possibility.” A federal grand jury in North Carolina returned an indictment against Comey on two counts, including threatening the president and transmitting a threat to kill the president, according to The Hill, over a photo he posted last year showing the phrase “86 47” spelled out in seashells on a beach. During a news conference on Tuesday on the Comey charges, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked whether the DOJ could go after Whitmer next. And Blanche did not close the door, saying, “Other incidents of threats against the president of the United States, those will be investigated,” the Detroit News reported. “Every case is different. The facts are different. Who makes the threat matters. What the threat says matters. The question of intent matters,” Blanche continued. “It’s not fair … to compare, if you did it here, why didn’t you do it there?” he added. But legal experts say in the Whitmer case, the statute of limitations has expired, so it’s unlikely the department will pursue charges against her. The day after the Comey indictment and the same day he made his first court appearance, Trump was asked whether he really thought Comey’s shell message was used to threaten the president. “Well, if anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86, you know what 86, it’s a mob term for kill him, you know. You ever see the movies, ’86 him.’ The mobster says to one of his wonderful associates, ’86 him.’ That means kill him. I think of it as a mob term,” Trump said during a press gaggle Wednesday, April 29, in the Oval Office. Comey has said he was not aware that the term “86” had violent connotations, and once he knew about it, he deleted the post, The Hill reported. In a video released Tuesday after the charges were announced, Comey said, “I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So, let’s go.” Seashells by James ComeyRead on Substack Meantime, Whitmer and Trump seem to have forged a working relationship during his second term, although Blanche has not ruled out pursuing her on similar charges to Comey. Social media exploded in anger with posters pointing out that MAGA used the “86” term against Biden. “Does Blanche own one of these?” a Threads user wondered above a meme showing the phrase “WHY DIDN’T ‘86’ MEAN ASSASSINATE WHEN MAGA WROTE IT ABOUT JOE BIDEN?” next to a page showing tee shirts with “86 46.” Another pointed out the irony of an investigation into seashells when the Justice Department is ignoring the law on the Epstein files. “Imagine being Todd Blanche and telling the country you spent 12 months investigating one single photo with 4 numbers on it….then know that you told the world no charges would be coming for the rape/murder of children….a case in which you have 6 MILLION files as proof…” View on Threads Legal experts have said the case against Comey, let alone an attempt at prosecuting Whitmer on the same charges, is flimsy at best and will probably be tossed out on the grounds that using the phrase amounts to protected political speech. Another user pointed to a violent message Trump posted against former President Joe Biden. “What about the photos that Trump posted showing Biden gagged and tied up in the back of a pick up? I mean fair is fair, right?” This post might sum it all up best of all: “They are grasping at straws. The whole idea of 86 having a violent meaning shows how desperate and uneducated they are.” ‘Grasping at Straws’:Trump DOJ Floats Charging Democrat Governor Over Old Clip As the Internet Digs Up the Exact Same Thing MAGA Did to Biden — and It’s Not Pretty ...read more read less