WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service on Friday about a social media post that Republicans insisted was a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a post on X that Comey had been interviewed and said she would “take all measures necessary to ensure the protection” of Trump.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was also supporting the investigation.
Asked about it Friday during a Fox News interview, Trump said: “He knew exactly what that meant.
If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.
WASHINGTON (AP) — On Friday, the Secret Service interviewed former FBI Director James Comey regarding a social media post that Republicans claimed was a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
It was anticipated that the interview, which was a component of an ongoing investigation by the Trump administration, would assist investigators in determining the post’s goal and intent as well as whether Comey meant to convey a threat to the president—a claim he has vigorously denied. Trump stated Friday that Attorney General Pam Bondi would have the final say over whether charges should be brought, but it is difficult to demonstrate that posts or comments constitute overt threats of violence.
In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged her interview with Comey and promised to “take all measures necessary to ensure the protection” of Trump. A division of the Department of Homeland Security is the Secret Service. A typical component of an investigation into remarks deemed potentially dangerous is an interview; however, this does not imply that charges are being contemplated.
In question is a Thursday Instagram post by Comey that featured a picture of seashells that seemed to form the shapes for “86 47” with the caption, “cool shell formation on my beach walk.”. “.”.
According to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary that The Associated Press uses, 86 is slang that means “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.”. As it states: “To kill is one of the most recent senses adopted, which is a logical extension of the earlier ones. Since this sense is relatively new and rarely used, we avoid it. “.”.
Several Trump administration officials, including Noem, claimed Comey was calling for the 47th president to be assassinated. The FBI is also assisting with the investigation, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Trump responded, “He knew exactly what that meant,” when asked about it in an interview with Fox News on Friday. A child is aware of what that meant. It meant assassination if you were the director of the FBI and you didn’t understand what that meant. And it makes that very clear. “.”.
When asked what he believed ought to occur, he sidestepped the question by stating that Bondi would make the final decision.
Comey later wrote: “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message.” The post was removed on Thursday, shortly after it was made. I had no idea that those figures were linked to violence by some people.
For almost a decade, Trump and Comey have had a tense relationship.
When Trump took office in 2017, Comey was the director of the FBI. He had been appointed by then-President Barack Obama and had previously been a senior Justice Department official under President George W. The Bush administration.
The relationship was tense from the beginning, though, especially after Comey refused to swear personal allegiance to Trump during a private dinner. The FBI director was so unnerved by the overture that he recorded it in a contemporaneous memo.
