Donald Trump’s presidential administration has made it clear it is an opponent of free speech through its cracking down on individuals and colleges in an effort to silence negative comments about the Israel government. This animosity to free speech was widely reported in a new context last week when high level Trump administration officials lined up to express their horror that former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, via a post at Instagram, purportedly threatened the life of President Trump.
The Secret Service interrogated Comey on Friday as part of an investigation it launched in response to the post. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard argued for taking things even further, claiming in a Fox News interview that Comey, through his Instagram post, was “issuing a hit on President Trump.” Comey, she further asserted in the interview, “should be held accountable and put behind bars” because of his post.
Comey’s Instagram post, which he has since removed saying he had no intention to suggest anything violent, was of sea shells arranged to read “86 47” plus this comment: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” That’s putting out a hit on President Trump? Not at all, explains Billy Binion in detail, in a Friday Reason article that can help out people who have only been exposed to the histrionic interpretations from Trump administration officials.
It is all ridiculous bluster and bullying from the Trump administration. But, coming from the US government, such comments and actions carry real danger. Recall Craig Robertson being killed by FBI agents in an August 9, 2023 SWAT raid on his home justified by his posts on social media seen as threatening, including to then President Joe Biden. (This was a few years after Comey’s time as FBI director.) An Associated Press article that day included this description of Robertson:
Neighbors described Robertson as a frail, elderly man — his online profile put his age as 74 — who walked with the aid of a hand-carved stick. Though he regularly carried guns, they said he didn’t seem a threat.
Trump administration officials couldn’t resist labeling Comey’s Instagram post as a threat. However, the real threat is their demonstrated disregard for the First Amendment guaranteed right of free speech.
