Former FBI Director Jim Comey made an appearance on CNN with John Berman on Wednesday to promote his latest book, a work that seems to intertwine the realms of fiction and political discourse.
In their conversation, Comey reiterated his claim of ignorance regarding the significance of the number 8647, a point that has raised eyebrows since he recently shared an image of seashells arranged in this very sequence.
During the interview, Comey dismissed the âseashell thingâ as merely a distraction, illustrating his intent to steer the conversation back to the serious themes of his book, which discusses the dangers posed by a âright-wing extremistâ whose rhetoric may incite violence.
One can’t help but chuckle at the coincidence of Comey’s seashell arrangement being perceived as a threat, especially when considering the themes of his writing.
Jim Comey: “Actually, it still doesnât hit me that itâs associated with violence.”
John Berman: “It still doesnât, even though people have pointed it out that it has been used in that context?”
Jim Comey: “Yeah, Iâve never seen it used in that context or heard it used in that context. Still⊔
John Berman: “How was your interview with the Secret Service about this?”
Jim Comey: “Oh, good. Theyâre total pros. Iâve worked with the Secret Service for many, many years, and they asked the right questions, trying to understand why I did it. We had a very similar conversation to the one you and I just had.”
John Berman: “Did you leave thinking that they believed you, or did you leave thinking they still had concerns?”
Jim Comey: “Well, I donât have any reason to believe they donât believe me. I feel like they asked the right questions, and I canât imagine thereâll be any more on it.”
John Berman: “Your book is about protected speech when it becomes political violence. Is that a fair way to characterize it? It discusses an extreme podcaster whose rhetoric leads to actual violence.“
Jim Comey: “Right. Itâs about a right-wing extremist trying to motivate followers to violence through his words in his broadcast.”
John Berman: “It’s interesting that your book tackles that subject, especially with the current discourse surrounding speech and its potential to incite violence. Yes?”
Jim Comey: “Yeah, not interesting to me. A bit of a distraction, actually. But the book addresses an important question. I donât see the seashell thing as a significant issue, but I hope folks will read the book and see that itâs a great thriller with relevant themes.”
John Berman: “How challenging is it to write political fiction now that it feels like every sensational political event has already occurred?”
Jim Comey: “Exactly. Some of the events happening today are so bizarre that if you were to include them in a novel, your editor might say, ‘Come on, this is fiction.’ But truth continues to surprise and often proves stranger than fiction. I aim to write very real fiction to illustrate these realities.”
Via Midnight Rider:
