James Comey is trying to downplay his Instagram post of seashells arranged to spell out "86 47" as "totally innocent." He maintains that "somebody with artistic flair" left the configuration on the beach as "a clever way to express a political view."
After deleting the post, Comey said he grew up thinking "86" meant to leave or ditch a place. In another post, he claimed he "didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down."
But federal law enforcement is investigating the photo that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Republicans regard as a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
"The very notion that a grown man who's been involved in law enforcement should tell you not to appreciate that he knows exactly what 86 47 would mean – that's plain on its face," responds Ken Valentine, who served 24 years with the Secret Service, including 10 with Presidential Protection detail.
"Shame on [Comey] for trying to lead people to believe that he did not understand that," Valentine continues. "I think what it really shows is poor judgment on his part."
The powers that be now must decide whether to seek prosecution, but he believes that would be "an uphill battle."
"It's going to kind of teeter on intent, and that's very difficult to prove unless you've got supporting evidence elsewhere," Valentine explains.
Trump fired Comey, a former Republican, in 2017 for gross incompetence and unfitness for the role of FBI director.
