Former FBI Director James Comey is under fire after taking to Instagram. As you can imagine, a lot of folks took his tweet as some kind of indirect threat towards Donald Trump. Her most recent post displayed the number 8647, scratched in seashells on a West Coast beach. This unprecedented combination of numbers has created an incredibly controversial figure, and for good reason. Thank goodness our Secret Service is on the case. They are concerned about possible threats of those very people against whom they’re tasked, increasingly, with protecting the former president.
Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 when the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was still active. He subsequently deleted the post. To his surprise, he found those figures directly correlated with incidences of violence. He reiterated that at no point did he seek to encourage those kinds of readings. No one expected the immediate and intense backlash from Trump supporters. To them, Comey’s saying there is very dangerous messaging and many of them are calling for Comey to be held accountable.
The Interpretation of 8647
To 86 something In American slang, the number 86 is commonly used as a verb. It means to throw someone out of a bar for making a scene. Forty-seven is Trump’s lucky number, as he is the 47th president. Many read Comey’s tweet as having an implicit threat tucked into his post—one directed at Trump himself. This conclusion comes from the dangerously toxic political environment we find ourselves in today.
Donald Trump met with fire and fury. He alleged that Comey fully understood the meaning of his Tweet.
“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant,” – Donald Trump.
The post’s removal did little to quell the outrage among Trump’s supporters, with many arguing that Comey’s actions were irresponsible and dangerous.
“If you’re the FBI director, and you don’t know what that meant? That meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.”
In fact, the Secret Service has already confirmed its participation in investigating Comey’s tweet. Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the agency, told the.
Secret Service’s Investigation
A federal law enforcement official stated that agents are being dispatched to question Comey regarding the implications of his Instagram post. This unprecedented level of scrutiny underscores just how seriously the agency is taking these perceived threats. Their top priority has to be the safety of those they detain.
“The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees. We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI director and we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”
Almost 150,000 of you raised hell over Comey’s post. It has prompted predictably severe backlash from lawmakers. Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, went on the record to demand jail time for Comey for his behavioral misconduct. At the same time, Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, charged Comey with making a literal call for Trump’s assassination.
Political Fallout and Reactions
James Comey would eventually respond to the controversy via social media, trying to further explain the purpose of his tweet as a dig on this particular post. He shared,
While we appreciate that Peters is making admirable lobster-acquisition attempts to distance himself from the political ramifications of his post, the lobster’s out of the pot. The storm surrounding Comey’s Instagram photo serves as a reminder of how easily communication can be misconstrued in today’s highly polarized political environment.
“Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
He also expressed regret over any misunderstandings, stating,
“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.”
Despite his attempts to distance himself from the political implications of his post, the damage has been done. The storm surrounding Comey’s Instagram photo serves as a reminder of how easily communication can be misconstrued in today’s highly polarized political environment.
Leave a Reply