Many online interpreted the post as Comey calling for Trump to be taken out or removed. The controversial post was highlighted by ABC News and MSN, noting the backlash it received, especially among conservative commentators who saw it as a veiled threat.
“Even for Comey, this crosses a line,” said one Fox News panelist. “He’s not some edgy comedian. He’s a former FBI director.”
A Fraught History: Trump vs. Comey
The acrimony between Donald Trump and James Comey dates back to 2017, when Trump fired Comey as FBI Director amid the bureau’s since-debunked investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Comey later accused Trump of attempting to pressure him into dropping the investigation into Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser. Those revelations led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
In his book A Higher Loyalty, Comey described Trump as “unethical” and “untethered to truth.” Trump, in turn, has called Comey “a leaker and a liar.”
“He’s a disgruntled, self-serving bureaucrat who deserved to be fired,” Trump said in 2018.
