Ex-FBI Director James Comey says he doesn’t expect to be charged over ‘86 47’ Instagram post: ‘Ridiculous’

Former FBI Director James Comey doesn’t expect nan Trump management to return immoderate further action against him complete an Instagram station some, including nan president, viewed arsenic a telephone to assassinate nan commandant successful chief. 

In his first nationalist remarks since sharing an image of seashells arranged connected a formation to shape nan numerals “86 47,” Comey told MSNBC big Nicolle Wallace he recovered it “hard to person regret” complete nan station that he still believes looks “totally innocent” — saying it was “crazy” anyone would spot it arsenic a telephone for violence.

“I don’t cognize really we ended up here,” nan ex-FBI main said of nan commotion that sewage him connected nan Secret Service’s radar.  “It ne'er occurred to maine it was immoderate benignant of arguable thing, but that’s nan clip we unrecorded in.”

Comey explained that erstwhile he saw nan shell statement connected nan beach, he believed it was “some benignant of governmental message” regarding nan 47th president, and his woman encouraged him to photograph it. 

“We stood complete it and I said, ‘I deliberation it’s immoderate benignant of governmental message,’ and she said, ‘’86’ erstwhile I was a server’ — she did a batch of moving successful restaurants – ‘meant to region an point from nan paper erstwhile you ran retired of ingredients,’” Comey said. “And I said, ‘Well, to me, arsenic a kid, it ever meant to time off a place, to ditch a place.’ I said, ‘That’s really clever.’”

“So past she said, ‘You should return a image of that.’ And I did, and I posted it connected my Instagram relationship and thought thing much of it.”

“I heard done her that group were saying it was immoderate benignant of a telephone for assassination, which is crazy,” nan erstwhile FBI caput continued. “But I took it down. Even if I deliberation it’s crazy, I don’t want to beryllium associated pinch unit of immoderate kind.”

Comey, who was fired by Trump successful May 2017 aft serving arsenic FBI head since September 2013, said he received a telephone from nan Secret Service nan nighttime he posted nan cryptic ammunition photograph and was interviewed by investigators past Friday astatine nan agency’s Washington section office. 

“They were pros,” Comey said of interactions pinch Secret Service agents. 

President Trump, who survived 2 high-profile assassination attempts, including nan July 13, 2024, Butler, Pa., effort successful which a slug grazed his correct ear, viewed Comey’s station arsenic a telephone to return him out. 

“He knew precisely what that meant. A kid knows what that meant,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier Friday. “If you’re nan FBI director, and you don’t cognize what that meant, that meant ‘assassination,’ and it says it large and clear.”

But nan erstwhile FBI head maintains that nan station was “totally innocent” and signaled that he didn’t regret it, contempt taking it down. 

“I regret nan distraction and nan contention astir it, but again, it’s difficult to person regret astir thing that moreover successful hindsight looks to maine to beryllium wholly innocent,” Comey said. 

When asked about Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s assertion that he should beryllium jailed complete nan post, nan FBI chief-turned-crime novelist said nan thought was “ridiculous.” 

“I dream group cognize capable astir that peculiar personification that they understand wherever it’s coming from,” Comey said. “It says thing much depressing astir nan activity of our existent administration. And I conscionable motion because that’s ridiculous.”

“I don’t – I wouldn’t expect thing to travel astatine maine from nan ammunition business.”