MAGA demands immediate arrest of former FBI director after he ‘called for assassination’ of Trump
Former FBI director James Comey is under investigation for implying President Donald Trump ‘should be assassinated.’
Comey uploaded a cryptic picture on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon, which featured an assortment of shells arranged to spell out: ’86 47.’
That specific combination of numbers has been linked to the assassination of Trump and a ‘quiet resistance.’
The number 86 is considered slang for ‘to kill or murder’ within some circles, in an apparent reference to a standard sized grave being eight feet long and six feet deep.
Trump is the 47th president, so some anti-Trump groups use the two numbers together to indicate that Trump should be assassinated.
Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem exploded at Comey on X within hours of the post, amid mounting fury from MAGA loyalists.
‘Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump,’ she wrote.
‘DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.’
Former FBI director James Comey is under investigation for implying President Donald Trump ‘should be assassinated’
Pictured: The offending post Comey briefly shared to his Instagram page
Comey swiftly deleted the Instagram photo, but not before it was seized upon and shared widely among right-wing X accounts
Comey swiftly deleted the Instagram photo, but not before it was seized upon and shared widely among right-wing X accounts.
Trump’s son Don Jr. weighed in on Thursday, expressing shock over the post.
He wrote: Just James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!’
Trump ally and newly appointed FBI chief Kash Patel also addressed the scandal, writing: ‘We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump.
‘We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.’
Comey issued a statement on Thursday night insisting it was an honest mistake and he did not understand the connotations of the message.
‘I posted a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,’ he wrote.
‘I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.’
Trump’s son Don Jr. expressed outrage over the post on Thursday night
Comey served as the director of the FBI from 2013 until he was fired by Trump in 2017
Supporters of Comey argue the 86 slang simply means to ‘throw out’, ‘veto’, or ‘discard’, and that the message in the sand simply means Trump should be ‘thrown out or impeached.’
During his bid for re-election, Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a bullet grazed his ear.
Authorities also foiled an assassination plan backed by Iran just months later.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich noted that the ‘hit’ on Trump came at a sensitive time, as he negotiates with foreign actors in the Middle East.
‘While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States—a message etched in the sand,’ he wrote on X.
‘This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.’
Right-wing commentator Meghan McCain wrote on X: ‘Don’t know how this can be interpreted as any other way but a threat against President Trump.
‘James Comey should at the very least get a visit from the secret service. Also is everyone mentally ill?’
As of Thursday night, ‘Comey’ was the top trending word in the United States on X with 213,000 recent posts using the name.
Comey served as the director of the FBI from 2013 until he was fired by Trump in 2017. In response, Comey arranged for memos from a private meeting he had previously had with Trump to be leaked to the press.
Following the decision to terminate him, Comey sent out an email to staff which read: ‘I have long believed that a president can fire an FBI director for any reason, or for no reason at all.
‘I’m not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. I hope you won’t either. It is done, and I will be fine, although I will miss you and the mission deeply.’
