Ahmad Austin Jr.Apr 29th, 2026, 12:38 pm

Longtime Trump advisor Alina Habba on Wednesday got into it with the hosts of The View over the Trump Justice Department’s latest indictment against former FBI director James Comey.

The previous day, President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice announced its indictment against Comey over a 2025 social media post. The post was a photo of seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.” The numbers were interpreted as a call to oust Trump, as “86” is a restaurant term used for removing something from the menu, and “47” refers to Trump being the 47th President of the United States.

Many Trump supporters believed it to be a call for violence and accused Comey of threatening to kill the president.

On Wednesday’s edition of The View, co-host Sunny Hostin asked Habba if she truly believed Comey’s post “rises to the level of a criminal threat against the life of the president.” Habba explained why she did, sparking a tense exchange with the entire panel:

HABBA: After Comey’s post — and this is where I go back to Saturday’s events — the responsibility of certain individuals like us. We all have a very big voice. He is a former FBI director. He knows what “86 47” meant. There’s no question about it. He actually went on TV later–

HOSTIN: What do you think “86” means?

HABBA: To kill the president, to get rid of the president. That’s what it means. By the way, his words, not mine, if you look at his late night show–

HOSTIN: But the dictionary disagrees with you on that.

HABBA: Well, he’s the FBI director who knows better.

JOY BEHAR: They use it in restaurants. Do they mean to kill any of the meat? What are they killing?

HABBA: Let me just tell you what happened after James Comey’s post. A gentleman posted that about me. He posted on Twitter, “86 Habba,” and he was also charged. He was charged in Florida and he was held accountable because you cannot do it. Now, this is an FBI director. We have responsibilities. You guys have responsibilities not to call the president certain things or say things that could incite violence. I most certainly think, after Saturday, I have a completely new perspective on how important our voices are and how we use them.

Watch above via ABC.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!