FIRST ON FOX: House GOP allies of President Donald Trump are moving to use the power of Congress to punish former FBI Director James Comey for his now-deleted “86 47” Instagram post.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the 189-member-strong Republican Study Committee (RSC), is introducing a resolution alongside Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., to condemn Comey for “incitement of violence against President Donald J. Trump.”
Pfluger and Lee’s three-page resolution calls the post “disturbing” and “urges the relevant authorities to take every relevant action to ensure that Mr. Comey is never again permitted to serve as an employee of the federal government.”
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James Comey’s controversial Instagram post has been hammered by Republicans ((Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images))
It also asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to not only investigate the matter, but also make the findings of its investigation known to both the relevant House committee and the American public.
Comey posted a photo of seashells forming the numbers “86 47” on the beach on Thursday.
It ignited a social media firestorm, with Trump allies and other Republicans immediately accusing the former FBI director of calling for Trump to be killed.
Comey later deleted the post and followed it with a statement that he opposed all violence.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” Comey said. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the Associated Press that Comey is now under investigation by the Trump administration.
U.S. President Donald Trump fired Comey as FBI director during his first term. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Pfluger and Lee’s resolution noted that Comey had made the post while Trump was on a diplomatic visit to the Middle East, which they argue ran the risk of “jeopardizing the President’s security and invigorating our nation’s enemies abroad.”
They also pointed out that there had been two known attempts on Trump’s life last year during the 2024 election – including the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, where the president was shot in the ear.
Lee, notably, was on the House task force investigating the Butler rally shooting.
“Having failed in his attempts to take down President Trump as one of the main architects of the Russia collusion hoax, Comey has now resorted to the unthinkable: calling for violence against our Commander-in-Chief,” the RSC chairman told Fox News Digital.
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“That someone who once held one of our nation’s most sacred positions of law enforcement would incite such dangerous rhetoric is not just alarming—it’s disqualifying and un-American. This resolution demands the accountability and transparency the American people deserve, ensuring Comey never again holds a position of public trust.”
Fox News Digital made multiple attempts to reach Comey and his representatives but did not hear back by press time.
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