'OK, seriously. Come on!': MSNBC panel laughs off Trump accusation against ex-FBI director

17 May

MSNBC panel discusses James Comey 8647 tweet

President Donald Trump and other MAGA Republicans, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, are accusing former FBI Director James Comey of calling for his assassination — a claim that many critics of Trump and Noem are slamming as ridiculous.

The claim stems from an Instagram post from Comey that depicted seashells in sand forming the numbers "86 47." The slang expression "eight-six" means "to eject" or "to remove," and Trump is the 47th president of the United States.

In a May 15 post on X, formerly Twitter, Noem wrote, "Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately."

Noem's post got a blistering response from liberal firebrand and former MSNBC host Keith Olberman, who tweeted, "Listen, you lying witch, he didn't call for assassinating anyone. Since you murdered your daughter's dog maybe you ought to S--- about this."

A current MSNBC host, Jonathan Capehart, addressed the controversy during a Saturday morning, May 17 broadcast. And while he wasn't as biting as Olbermann, Capehart called Trump out and emphasized that the term "eighty-six" often has no connotation of violence whatsoever.

After airing a clip of Trump telling Fox News that Comey "knew what that meant" and was calling for him to be killed, Capehart told one of his guests — Boston Globe opinion columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr —"OK, seriously. Come on! This is the man who pardoned January 6 rioters who beat up and hurt, maimed law enforcement officials. So, I'm not downplaying whatever concerns he might have about what that meant. But, Kimberly, come on now."

Capehart noted how much the term "eighty-six" is used by restaurants, commenting, "People go to diners lately — I mean, 'Eighty-six the chicken salad.'"

Stohr agreed that Comey wasn't calling for Trump's assassination, but the Boston Globe columnist commented that Comey needs to be extra-careful with his social media posts — as Trump has made it clear that he's out for revenge.

Stohr told Capehart, "I don't think any reasonable person would take that post to mean that the former FBI director is calling for the assassination of the president. That is just not real. On the other hand, Comey is a former FBI director. He is now a private citizen. He's walking on the beat. Look, if you want to snap a picture and send it to your family, your wife….. I mean, it's just, it's really improper for a former official to be doing something like that. And it's also stupid, given that you know that this administration is all about vengeance. It's all about settling scores. And James Comey should know that he would be among the top of the list of people if given a chance, the (Trump) Administration would go after."

The Globe columnist added, "So, he should go off as a private citizen, enjoy his life, walk on the beach and stay out of the chat."

MSNBC's Ali Vitali described Trump's claims about Comey as "cynical," adding, "This administration finally has the reason that it's wanted to investigate James Comey. They didn't need a reason when it was Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs…. Everyone from (Rep.) Matt Gaetz to (Michigan Gov.) Gretchen Whitmer has used this phrase in terms of: We should take out political opponents…. Defeat the person they're trying to run against."

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