Comey Faces Backlash Over Photo on Instagram
On Friday, “Morning Joe” co-host Lemia criticized former FBI director James Comey for sharing a photo that included the number “8647” in a now-deleted Instagram post, calling it “silly.”
Comey’s post featured images of a “cool shell formation” he found on a walk at the beach. He tagged prominent figures from the Trump administration, urging Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI director Kash Patel to probe whether Comey’s post insinuated an assassination call against then-President Donald Trump. Lemia remarked that Comey’s actions inadvertently created a “convenient target” for Trump supporters.
“This was a foolish move,” Lemia commented. “There’s certainly a lot of exaggerated anger here. However, if someone on the left had posted something similar involving the number 8646, they’d likely be upset, too. I heard there’s an investigation being launched into it. It’s hard to say if Comey’s intent was there; he deleted the post quickly and issued an apology.”
“Still, for those looking to vent about something, James Comey has provided them with an easy target,” Lemia added.
Lemia also pointed out that Comey had been promoting his latest book on social media right after receiving attention from the controversial post.
Republicans have expressed concerns, claiming that “86” is often used as slang for “get rid of” or “shut up,” raising alarms about possible threats to Trump’s safety.
After deleting the original post, Comey made another Instagram entry, clarifying that he didn’t see any connection between the number and violence. He stated, “I thought this was just a personal message about my beach walk. I didn’t think about any violent implications, so I took the post down.”
Trump has previously faced two assassination attempts, the most recent occurring during his 2024 presidential campaign. This included an incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, where shots were fired, narrowly missing him, and another event in Florida where a would-be shooter was apprehended.
