Former Congresswoman and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard joined Fox News host Jesse Watters to discuss growing concerns over a social media post made by former FBI Director James Comey, which appeared to reference the phrase “86 Trump”—a term widely interpreted as a veiled call to assassinate President Donald Trump.
During the segment, Gabbard criticized Comey for using language she said he “absolutely” knew the implications of, given his background in law enforcement and prosecution.
“Absolutely not, Jesse. That is a ridiculous and insane statement to make, certainly within this context, but especially coming from a guy who is the former director of the FBI, a guy who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters — people who know and execute other humans and use this exact lingo of 86,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard pointed out that Comey himself later acknowledged the political nature of his message, tying it to recent activist slogans.
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“Comey himself admitted in his follow-on message that he knew that this was a political statement. Well, the only reason he knew that, Jesse, was because little over a month ago, a bunch of anti-Trump, anti-Elon Musk protesters were proliferating the use of this 8647 slogan, which was a veiled call to action to murder the sitting President of the United States,” she said.
Gabbard warned of the potential influence figures like Comey have when making such statements, especially given his public profile and portrayal in the media.
“This is the guy who is issuing a hit on President Trump, the President that the American people voted for,” she said.
“It’s guys like Comey and others who call the President the modern-day Nazi... These are people who hate democracy and hate the American people because they cannot stand that the people overwhelmingly chose to elect Donald Trump and send him back to the White House.”
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When asked by Watters how seriously the administration is taking the matter, Gabbard confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security is actively investigating the situation.
“We're taking this very seriously,” she said.
“The Department of Homeland Security and specifically Sean Curran, the current Secret Service Director... takes this seriously and is leading the investigation into this threat.”
Gabbard cited a recent Rutgers study that found over 55% of respondents considered the assassination of President Trump to be “somewhat justified.”
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She said such sentiments were directly influenced by rhetoric from high-profile figures like Comey.
“This study also pointed out that there is a quote, unquote, assassination culture that is starting to take over the views of what they call the extreme left,” she said.
“We, the American people, cannot take this lightly... We cannot allow people to get by without being held accountable for this kind of public call to assassinate the president of United States.”
Watters then asked if Comey might be goading the administration in order to portray himself as a political martyr.
Gabbard responded that intent doesn’t excuse the threat.
“There is a guy in Georgia who was issuing threats on my life about a month ago, and he’s in jail. Today,” Gabbard said.
“So whatever James Comey’s intent, he and people like him need to be held to account according to the law.”
When asked directly if Comey should face jail time, Gabbard responded unequivocally: “I do. Any other person with the position of influence that he has... I’m very concerned for the President’s life. We’ve already seen assassination attempts. I’m very concerned for his life. And James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.”
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WATCH:
James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President of the United States.As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the… pic.twitter.com/zvbu5Vf0zg
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) May 16, 2025
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As Director doesn’t she have arrest powers? Do it yourself Tulsi.
Comey’s intent is to encourage some weak-minded murderer (somewhere) to assassinate Trump. And, yes! He should be arrested and tried for treason against the United States. And then, if found guilty, he should be imprisoned for life, perhaps in El Salvadore.
We all know Comey and what he is capable of. He is a criminal already; he is just walking free because of his exempt status of all those involved in the Russia hoax & cover up of Hillary’s server disaster.
Obama, Clinton, Comey, Brennan, who all green lighted the go on framing Trump and those around him in the elaborate Russia Collusion Frame job by the Democrat party and their media, those too should be imprisoned.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT AND OUR COUNTRY! THANK YOU, LORD, FOR GIVING PRESIDENT TRUMP TO AMERICA!!!!❤️🇺🇸🙏❤️🇺🇸🙏
If you arrest Comey for calling for the death of Trump, you will have to arrest many in Congress and other High Profile Actors. However, don’t hold you breath for an arrest of any of these criminals, not gonna happen. Comey’s daughter and son in law work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.