President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on former FBI director James Comey, branding him a “dirty cop” and insisting that Comey’s seashell Instagram post was a coded assassination threat using the mob term “86.” In a post on Truth Social late Wednesday, Trump wrote: “’86’ is a mob term for ‘kill him.’ They say 86 him! 86 47 means ‘kill President Trump.’” He added: “James Comey, who is a Dirty Cop, one of the worst, knows this full well! EIGHT MILES OUT, SIX FEET DOWN! Didn’t he also lie to the FBI about this??? I think so!”
Trump had earlier made the same argument in the Oval Office when questioned by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When pressed on whether he truly believed Comey intended to encourage violence, Trump replied: “Probably, I don’t know. Based on what I’m seeing out there, yeah. The people like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others.”
The Department of Justice filed a two-count indictment against Comey on Tuesday over the contested post, alleging it constituted “a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the president of the United States.” Comey responded wearily in a video on Substack, protesting his innocence and stating: “Nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go.”
Legal experts have been quick to criticise the case. Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb called it “specious” and a “vindictive prosecution,” while ex-deputy assistant attorney general Tom Dupree described it as “skeletal.” Conservative constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley labelled it “weak” on Fox News. All expect the case to prove a dead end.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked on Wednesday whether MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec would face similar charges for a 2022 post that could be interpreted as a threat against Joe Biden. The question came amid concerns over selective prosecution.
