
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Former FBI Director James Comey grabbed headlines when he posted on social media a grouping of seashells with four numbers – 8647.  ;In doing so, Comey brought to the fore a coded message that had been circulating among the more extreme anti-Trump crowd. The message essentially is “get rid of President Trump.” ; In its darkest interpretation, it intimates assassination. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The message has two components. The “86” has long been slang for “dispose of.” It is said to have originated in soda fountains in the 1930s and was used to indicate that an item was sold out. It later evolved to mean “to remove or get rid of.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">(The use of “86” was an inside joke in the television series “Get Smart.” Maxwell Smart&#8211; the character played by Don Adams – was designated as Agent 86 – a guy everyone wanted to get rid of.)</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In recent times, the “47” was added – a reference to Donald Trump as the 47<sup>th</sup> President. The 8647 was more recently picked up by social media. The message essentially is “get rid of President Trump.” </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As soon as the feces hit the fan, Comey took his social media post down. He admitted that he thought the seashells in the sand were a “political message” but was not aware of the violent implication.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That is a pretty thin excuse. ; He sees the shells in the sand &#8230; takes a photograph &#8230; believes it is a “political message” &#8230; posts it on his Instagram account. ; What did Comey believe was the “political message”?  ;Did he understand the reference to Trump? ; If he did not know what it meant, why did he not do a little research and educate himself? ; Would he really have posted the photo on social media if he really was clueless as to what it meant?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">His entire explanation sounds like the actions of some anti-Trump nutcase who got caught peddling violence on the Internet. ; The anonymous types who were already spreading the coded message. ; Unfortunately, Comey’s publicizing the code has given it much wider circulation – raising the subject of assassination to a new height.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Comey has a documented history of animosity toward Trump – and for employing improper means to get at him. ; He gave credence to the phony Steele Dossier – and used it unvetted to misinform an FISA court in order to get permission to eavesdrop on the presidential campaign. ; In order to force the appointment of a Special Counsel to undertake an investigation of Trump &#8212; which proved the accusations to be baseless – Comey leaked sensitive information to the media. ; That was a violation of ethics, FBI policy and likely the law.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The question is: What should be done now? The Justice Department has launched an investigation – as it should. Anyone posting anything on social media that can be viewed as a threat to the President of the United States naturally attracts FBI and DOJ responses. It goes along with the admonition, “if you see something, say something.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Does anyone believe that Comey was calling for Trump’s assassination? ; Probably not – at least not overtly. ; But the 8647 code IS a call for action – and with Trump having almost four years left of his last term, there are very few excusable options for “getting rid” of him other than assassination.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Moreover, Comey’s posting of that message could motivate a serious nutcase, who might be willing to take lethal action to get rid of Trump. ; There have already been two attempts on Trump’s life by nutcase shooters who were motivated by beliefs that Trump was a danger to the Republic. ; A man who needed to be stopped. Those two shooters were responding to all the reckless and dishonest political rhetoric from Democrats and the radical left media.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At best, Comey was reckless and irresponsible &#8212; and he had every reason to know that. ; Given his professional history with the FBI, Comey had to know the danger of inciting a nutcase with reckless suggestions based on false accusations. ; ; He just did not care – and that puts him on the edge of promoting violence against the President.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Should Comey be charged with making a threat against the President – as any John Q. Citizen might be? ; If he is charged, the left will go bonkers – claiming that it is the action of an authoritarian President in search of revenge. ; On the other hand, if he is not charged, we are seeing yet another case of those on the left being above the law. ; That has been the American legal tradition for generations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is a close call. ; As a First Amendment extremist, I am inclined to view what Comey did – and reprehensible as it may be – as merely an exercise of his right to free speech. ; We tend to make exceptions, however, when the speech is dangerous and can produce harm &#8212; such as inciting a riot or falsely yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre – as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes noted.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I suppose the best course of action is to do with Comey what the FBI and the Justice Department would do – and have done – in other cases. ; That would give at least some credibility that the rule-of-law has some meaning.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

Did Comey really want Trump assassinated?
