‘A child knows what that meant’: Trump says Comey ‘called for the assassination of the president’

Former FBI Director James Comey’s recent Instagram post caused a huge wave of controversy after President Donald Trump took it as a call for his assassination. The post, which has since been deleted, showed the numbers “8647” arranged in seashells on a beach, along with the caption “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

While Comey insisted the post was not meant as a political statement, the president and several top officials saw it as a direct threat. The debate centers on the meaning of the number “86.” Comey claimed he hadn’t thought about the number’s possible link to violence, but many people understood “86” as slang for “to kill” or “to get rid of,” leading to accusations that the post was a hidden threat against the president.

Basically, if you’ve ever served in a place of business, you know 86 means “not welcome,” and “do not serve,” but it also has a meaning of kill if you work in law enforcement and have to deal with gangs. Trump is the 47th president. It is enough of a leap to warrant an investigation since Comey would know it, but nowhere near enough to charge. Trump will likely look for something to pin on Comey now.

Trump responds to James Comey’s post

President Trump told  Fox News that “He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.” It did not mean assassination, but it is questionable, and any political leader would look into it.

Comey has since posted, “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind,” Comey said in another post on Instagram. Since he was the FBI director and I’ve read his book A Higher Loyalty, I would say he’s not opposed to violence when needed in his line of work.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service that they were looking into the post. The Secret Service confirmed they treat any possible threat against the president with extreme seriousness and routinely investigate such cases.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tweeted that the Secret Service was examining Comey’s post, calling it a demand for the president’s assassination. Noem is well-known for getting her handbag (filled with important U.S. documents) stolen in front of her. Making the situation even more heated, ABC reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard demanded that Comey be jailed, saying she was deeply worried about the effect such a post could have coming from someone as influential as Comey.

Comey later made another post to clarify that he had not meant for the original post to be seen as violent and had removed it once he realized how it was being misunderstood. He repeated that he is against all violence. However, his explanation did not convince the president, who dismissed it as an excuse to avoid blame after being caught.

When asked what should be done about Comey, President Trump did not give a clear answer, saying the decision should be left to Attorney General Pam Bondi. While he called Comey’s actions “terrible” and described him as a “dirty cop,” he did not directly support or oppose further investigations, stressing that it was the Attorney General’s responsibility.