Snorting "seriously, come on," on Saturday's edition of MSNBC'S The Weekend, co-host Jonathan Capehart dismissed former FBI Director James Comey's posting of a photo of "8647" as a "pseudo controversy."

Right! After all, in taking down the post, Comey claimed "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me."

Of course he didn't realize it! After all, who would expect the former top federal crime fighter to be familiar with . . . criminal code?

Capehart played a clip of President Trump telling Bret Baier:

"He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. That meant assassination. Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant."

But Capehart wasn't buying that. It was just the whining of a guy who . . . had been the target of two assassination attempts. 

Maybe Comey hadn't heard about that, either. So it didn't occur to him that any possible suggestion of offing Trump was in the worst possible taste, and a very plausible incitement to violence.

Reacting to Trump's statement, Capehart unloaded an absurd non sequitur:

"This is the man who pardoned January 6th rioters who beat up and hurt maimed law enforcement officials."

So Trump's issuance of pardons justified Comey's suggestion that the president be taken out??

Boston Globe columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr weighed in to call Comey's post "stupid." Not because it could have incited someone to attempt to assassinate Trump. No, Atkins Stohr fretted that the post could endanger . . . Comey!

"This administration is all about vengeance. It's all about settling scores. And James Comey should know that he would be among the top of the list of people, if given a chance, the administration would go after." 

Note: MSNBC is not the only liberal media outlet to ride to Comey's defense.

The New York Times published an article yesterday citing Columbia professor Jesse Sheidlower [see photo], a slang specialist, on the meaning of "86." While acknowledging that "it can mean murder," Sheidlower claimed:

"Without any very specific indication that that’s the intended meaning, you’d never assume that. The notion that Comey was suggesting this is completely preposterous.”

"Completely preposterous" -- great point, professor. Because in posting "8647," Comey didn't specify, "I mean that to say, murder the president."

Case closed!

Here's the transcript.

MSNBC
The Weekend
5/17/25
7:17 am EDT

JONATHAN CAPEHART: There is what I would like to think is a pseudo controversy involving the former FBI director, James Comey, and the shells photo that he took, 86-47. 

And now you've got people screaming at the tops of their lungs that, do we have that? Yeah, there it is. And you've got people saying that he's threatening the president's life. 

Let's play element four. This is the president's reaction to that post that the president gave Fox News yesterday. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP: He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI Director and you don't know what that meant? That meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear. Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. 

CAPEHART: Okay, seriously. Come on. This is the man who pardoned January 6th rioters who beat up and hurt maimed law enforcement officials. So I'm not downplaying whatever concerns he might have about what that meant. But Kimberly, come on now. 

KIMBERLY ATKINS STOHR: Yes. So I don't think any reasonable person would take that post to mean that the former FBI Director is calling for the assassination of the president. That is just not real. 

On the other hand, Comey is a former FBI director. He's now a private citizen. He's walking on the beach. If you want to snap a picture and send it to your family, your wife.

It's really improper for a former official to be doing something like that.

CAPEHART: Correct, yes.

ATKINS STOHR: And it's also stupid, given that you know that this administration is all about vengeance. It's all about settling scores. And James Comey should know that he would be among the top of the list of people, if given a chance, the administration would go after. 

So he should go off as a private citizen, enjoy his life, walk on the beach and stay out of the chat.