Wyoming’s congressional delegation is standing behind a new investigation into former FBI Director James Comey after he posted what many Republicans on Capitol Hill are interpreting as an assassination threat against President Donald Trump.
They’re calling for immediate action over what Wyoming U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis calls a “completely despicable” act.
Comey posted a photo to Instagram on Wednesday of a shell formation that spelled out “86 47” on a beach walk. Those who interpret the post as a threat say “86,” which is a reference to banning or ejecting someone, could be considered slang for killing Trump, who is the 47th president of the United States.
Comey said in a follow-up post that he thought the shells were “a political message,” but that he wasn’t advocating for assassination and did not know it could be considered a violent threat.
"I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence," Comey wrote on the Instagram post. "It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
Not Buying It
Trump’s not buying that explanation, telling Fox News he believes a call for his assassination is “exactly what that meant.”
Trump ousted Comey in 2017 when he was leading the charge on a counterintelligence investigation on Trump’s alleged involvement with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election.
The two also were in a legal battle in 2019 when Trump accused Comey of treason, and the Justice Department decided not to prosecute Comey with mishandling of documents and memos on his interactions with Trump.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, said she agrees with Trump’s interpretation of Comey’s “86 47” message.
Comey is a “disgruntled deep stater” who is “suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
While Hageman said she would leave what to do with the investigation up to security experts, she stands “solidly” behind Trump.
‘Outraged’
Hageman isn’t alone among Wyoming’s delegation in saying they’re concerned about the perceived threat.
U.S. Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming said in a statement that every American should be “outraged” by Comey’s actions, especially when Trump has survived multiple assassination attempts and “continues to face dangerous threats every day.”
“No one is above the law, including the disgraced former FBI Director,” Barrasso said.
Lummis took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday night to say she found Comey’s post “completely despicable.”
In a statement, Lummis said she hopes “the Secret Service takes President Trump's security very seriously and has follow ups with Mr. Comey.”
The Trump administration said Thursday that there will be an investigation into the motive behind the social media post.
‘A Dirty Cop’
The investigation will be under the Department of Homeland Security, more specifically the Secret Service.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her department and the Secret Service are investigating and will respond accordingly, also accusing Comey of calling for Trump’s assassination on X on Thursday.
Trump said Comey’s fate would be decided by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, but that there should not be leniency, because he is “a dirty cop.”
In a Friday Fox News interview, Trump also said Comey should know what this means as a former FBI director.
“If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination,” Trump told Fox News. “And it says it loud and clear.”
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, claimed the post was like “issuing a hit” on Trump, and also told Fox News that he should be put in jail.
