Statements by James Comey were widely interpreted as a call for the assassination of President Trump, and the reaction of the Trump White House followed. Correctly so, Alex Jones took it to social media to publicize the response, stirring some debate.
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Jones claims that Comey’s statements were condemned by the White House but that immediate details concerning that response were not forthcoming. The uproar erupted after Comey posted something on bigger media-recently-a cryptic pair of numbers, “86 47”-a phrase universally understood, among those in the know, as code for removing the 47th president (Trump) from office by any means necessary.
The White House considers such rhetoric as dangerous and unacceptable, especially when uttered by a former high-level law enforcement official. Elsewhere: Mr. Trump is just this nice fellow, cleverly maneuvering legally through a minefield of lawsuits, seeking his next grand house for the presidency.
At the time of writing, the responses on Jones’ post ranged from expressions of outrage to the practice of dark comedy. Noah Count bluntly stated, “The response should’ve come from the Secret Service in the form of handcuffs,” representing many who felt that Comey should face the actual kind of legal action prescribed by the law. Lori Babich agreed with others, saying that others talked about a sketchy cop: “He was dirty and corrupt when he headed the FBI.”
The reactions started taking the random turn; Donald Christ sarcastically asked about the admin’s position on “GAY FROGS,” alluding to one of Jones’ most delightful conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Brandon joked that “Alex Jones sold out to the Electric Vehicle Market…he is now a sales men for TESLA,” showing some users’ efforts at memeing their way out of something serious.
The debate consequently heightened as responses started getting serious about consequences. Marasco: “So extradite him, and hang him…but they wont because this is all just political theater.” Some scoffed at the suggesting double standard; TheMervineReport asked, “If a citizen made that threat, he or she would be arrested already. What’s up?????”
Others responded to the weak institutional responses with increasing amounts of scorn. Ben Everson: “The Republicans are too big of sissies to do anything,” while Golden Age Enjoyer gave his take on Bondi’s nonaction: “Countdown til Bondi does absolutely nothing.” Such comments echo some Trump supporters’ growing discontent with the apparent lack of repercussions for those who speak out against him.
Things shifted weirdly when gork speculated about protecting both Trump and Elon Musk by proposing they “fight it out” in some sort of survival scenario, citing “Musk’s got that robot army” and Trump having “enough bodyguards to start a small country.”
Legal experts would contend that violent rhetoric toward public figures often rings public outrages; however, prosecutions must prove intent and an imminent threat. Comey has yet to clarify anything about his “86 47” post, leaving a considerable amount of leeway in its interpretation. While more extreme reactions have emerged in other venues, the measured response from the White House is notable.
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Amid an already divided political climate, this incident is a testament to just how poisonous the political discourse has become as we approach 2024. Since Trump remains a very polarizing factor, and with his legal wranglings continuing at a slow pace, discussions on where to draw the line in political speech are unlikely to fade anytime soon. The administration publically rebuking a former FBI director over such rhetoric shows just how serious they are about what they see as dangerous discourse on a riven political landscape.