(NewsNation) — Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem announced former FBI Director James Comey is under investigation, accusing him of calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump.
Comey, a longtime critic of Trump, posted a photo on Instagram with seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” Comey faced backlash after the post and was accused of calling for violence against the president. Others suggested Comey was calling for Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.
“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump,” Noem said in a social media post Thursday. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
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He later removed the photo and clarified he did not intend to call for violence.
“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he wrote in a separate post.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent who served on Comey’s personal protection detail during his term as director, joined “NewsNation Live” on Friday.
She said that while Comey likely knew what the message meant when he posted it, the issue lies in those who have a strong hatred for Trump and could take Comey’s post as a mandate to harm the president.
Coffindaffer said the investigation’s next steps would be to determine who the post reached and could possibly include a subpoena of Comey’s personal text messages.
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“They are very serious about this, because there have been two attempts against President Trump,” Coffindaffer said.
In the aftermath of Comey’s post, she said, the Secret Service must be on an even higher alert to protect Trump.
Coffindaffer said in terms of damage control, Comey should clarify his intentions in making the post.
“I would hope Mr. Comey would come out and say ‘Listen, this was not a call to action, I don’t like Trump and I’ve made that clear in my book and other venues, but I just meant impeachment,'” Coffindaffer said. “I think he needs to dial down on what he really meant by his message.”
