Donald Trump has a sizable fan club on Capitol Hill, with too many Republicans offering embarrassingly sycophantic support for the president, but if I had to pick the single most unabashed supporter of the president in Congress, it would be Rep. Troy Nehls.
The Texas Republican, often seen wearing neckties featuring the president’s face, hasn’t just adopted the role of a Trump employee, he also declared two weeks ago, “I believe that Donald Trump is, uhh, better than sliced bread. I think he’s almost the Second Coming, in my humble opinion.”
But asked Wednesday about Trump’s Justice Department indicting James Comey, claiming that the former FBI director used Instagram to call for violence against the president by way of a seashell-related code, Nehls replied, “I think it’s a stretch.”
Not to put too fine a point on this, but when Troy Nehls is willing to say, out loud and in public, that even he is unconvinced by the merits of a ridiculous criminal case against a White House foe, it’s striking evidence that the administration is pushing its luck.
Around the same time the Texan offered his assessment, the president himself made his first public comments on the indictment announced two days earlier. He seemed eager to defend the case on its merits, though his pitch wasn’t exactly persuasive.
At an Oval Office event with the Artemis II astronauts, a reporter asked about the Comey charges. “Well, if anybody knows anything about crime, they know ‘86,’” the Republican replied. “It’s a mob term for ‘kill him.’ You know, you ever see the movies? … That’s a mob term for ‘killing.’”
It’s really not. As a USA Today report explained, “The origin of ‘86’ is debated, and the term has alternate meanings. … The term can be used colloquially to mean ‘to throw out,’ ‘to get rid of,’ or ‘to refuse service to,’ according to Merriam-Webster. In the restaurant industry, ‘86’ is often said when an item is sold out.”
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At the same White House event, Trump was also asked whether he “really” believed that Comey’s seashells put his life in danger. “Probably,” the president replied.
For the record, he said this with a straight face.
Shortly before midnight, Trump kept this going by way of his social media platform, writing, “‘86’ is a mob term for ‘kill him.’ They say 86 him! 86 47 means ‘kill President Trump.’ James Comey, who is a Dirty Cop, one of the worst, knows this full well!”
Putting aside the inconvenient fact that there’s still no evidence of Comey being “dirty,” a variety of Trump allies have used “86” in a colloquial context, even in reference to Joe Biden during the Democrat’s presidency, and none of them has ever faced a federal criminal investigation or been prosecuted by the Justice Department.
The former FBI director’s lawyers made clear Wednesday they’ll defend Comey by arguing that the case is an illegal example of political retribution. I like their chances.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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