The Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service are currently looking into a social media post made by former FBI Director James Comey. It seems that several U.S. officials interpreted the post as a call for the assassination of President Donald Trump, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Pretty intense stuff, right?
So, what did Comey post that got everyone so riled up? Well, he shared a picture on Instagram that showed a “shell formation” on a beach, forming the numbers “8647.” Apparently, “eighty-six” can informally mean “to get rid of,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Seems like people took that as a not-so-subtle message directed at Trump, the 47th president of the United States. Yikes.
Noem didn’t waste any time in calling Comey out, claiming that he was basically calling for Trump’s assassination. She even mentioned that DHS and the Secret Service are on the case and will handle the situation appropriately. The Secret Service spokesperson also chimed in, stating that they take any potential threat against their protectees very seriously. Can’t blame them for being cautious.
Now, here comes the drama. White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich accused Comey of essentially putting a hit out on the president. Even Trump Jr. jumped in, accusing Comey of casually calling for his dad to be murdered. Comey, on the other hand, denied that his post had any violent intentions, stating that he didn’t realize people would see it that way. He took the post down because he’s all about peace, apparently.
The tension escalated when Rep. Tim Burchett called for Comey to be arrested, and Trump’s former campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, suggested raiding Comey’s home over the post. Talk about taking things to the next level. FBI Director Kash Patel assured that the bureau would support the Secret Service in their investigation. It’s like a real-life spy thriller unfolding before our eyes.
Just a little background: Comey was axed by Trump in 2017, only four years into his 10-year term as FBI Director. Trump’s main reason for giving Comey the boot was allegedly due to his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email scandal. Of course, there was also the whole Russia investigation fiasco that added fuel to the fire. Things sure got messy back then.
In the end, it’s a whole lot of he-said-she-said, with accusations flying left and right. Whether Comey actually intended to call for Trump’s assassination or it was all just a big misunderstanding, one thing’s for sure: the drama is real, folks. Who knew social media posts could cause such a stir? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out.
