Former FBI Director James Comey is a "wise guy" who should be held up for "public scorn" for his Instagram post showing seashells arranged in the numbers "86 47," which President Donald Trump and others in the administration insist was his call for the assassination the president, former Rep. Pete King said on Newsmax.
However, he told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend Sunday" that he doesn't think Comey was calling for anyone to kill the president.
"He knew what he was doing here," the New York Republican said. "I don't think he intended to kill the president or anything like that. He was trying to be a wise guy to show that he's a little cute."
King added that while he was in Congress and on the Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees, he worked closely with Comey.
"I have to admit, in the beginning, I sort of fell for his act," said King. "He was a sincere guy. He was a Boy Scout. The longer it went, the more I realized what a fraud he was. He was one of the main perpetrators of the whole Russian hoax."
As for the Instagram post, which was quickly removed, King said nobody believes what Comey said, that he happened to find the seashells while walking on the beach.
"He had something to do with that, I'm sure," said King. "And then to put them out there and played innocent. Listen, he's a bad guy. I'm not saying he should be prosecuted, but certainly hold him up there for public scorn because he deserves it."
Former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., also on Sunday's segment, added that when he was in Congress, he helped to coach the congressional baseball team, but after a shooting that severely injured Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., "we have about 15-20 security guards in a secure baseball field."
"Why? Because there's a lot of nuts in this world," said Kingston. "James Comey knows that when he sends a signal like that, he's saying to the nuts, Hey, I as an establishment cool guy, am giving you permission to '86' the president. Everyone knows '86' means eliminate."
He added that had someone said the same thing about former President Barack Obama, "as I had a constituent say something flippant, they would be detained and arrested and investigated."
King and Kingston also discussed Trump's trip to the Middle East, with King saying that his travels reestablished the United States as a "true power" in the region.
"The fact that he's putting the pressure on Iran, I think, is terrific," said King. "It's a bit of a gamble with Syria. But if we play that right, I think he has that also. That is both a blow to Iran and to Russia."
Meanwhile, even if the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia don't become allies of the United States, they can "still work with us against Islamist terrorism and against Iran and also Russia," said King.
Kingston, meanwhile, called Trump's travels an "incredible trip" and said it will be studied by students of diplomacy for years.
"He hit all the right buttons, economic, diplomatic, and cultural," said Kingston, pointing out that Trump received the UAE's highest recognition.
"President Trump really spoke their language and all that pomp and circumstance that's relevant," said Kingston. "It's important. It was saying, Hey, we are the most powerful nation in the world. We acknowledge that you're very important, that you're relevant, that you're also powerful. We're going to work together."
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