Is mt memory faulty, or did Brennan post on X that Trump needed to be killed?

[Mr.Unique]

I know that there was an X post during the 2024 election where someone (I think it was Brennen or Clapper) was calling for Trump's death.

Now I can find no reference to that.

Can someone help me out?

[Deaf Smith]

You may be thinking of the seashells on the beach.

[Mr.Unique]

Thanks for the reply, but that’s not it. This was a social media post.

[God luvs America]

He was in favor of invoking the 25th Amendment against President Trump...but they are cute with their comments saying “he must be removed!!” which borders on what you alluded to...

[spintreebob]

Never use the word “killed”. Use the proper vocabulary.
86 47. Neutralized. there are many words much more acceptable than “killed”.

[Ditto]

I doubt either one is stupid enough to say something like that out loud. They probably think it, but I doubt they would say it.

[vpintheak]

James Comey. Posted a picture of “interesting seashells” that spelled out 86 47.

[Liz]

Brennan has been a harsh and vocal critic of Trump, at times using severe political rhetoric—such as stating that Trump’s actions warranted removal from office via the 25th Amendment or writing that Trump would take his place in history as a “disgraced demagogue” —but he has never made any statements threatening physical harm or calling for violence against Trump.

[C210N]

[Repeal The 17th]

Both things can be true.

[Mr.Unique]

Both things can be true.

Truth

[lee martell]

I can easily imagine Brennan yelling such statements at his dinner table, or in the sauna, but Id be surprised if he posted that on a public forum. Clapper would nod with approval at anything Brennan said.

[henbane]

All three want President Trump gone--but only Comey has smirkingly made the 86 reference--and been indicted for it..

The three live every day under the pressure of prosecution and jail time, knowing full well that the President wants all three doing time in a federal slammer.

[No name given]

And this trio of traitors should be in prison for the rest of their days.

[Fedora]

I can’t find anything on him saying that in the 2024 campaign, but he was certainly taking steps to achieve that, and much earlier. Apart from his covert role in Russiagate, etc., he said this in 2018, for example:

* * *

https://www.newsweek.com/brennan-accuses-trump-causing-division-could-spill-over-streets-1090541

Brennan Accuses Trump Of Causing Division That Could ‘Spill Over into The Streets’

Former CIA Director John Brennan has accused President Donald Trump of “dividing Americans,” warning that growing tensions in the U.S. could “spill over into the streets.”. . .

“This is a very abnormal time. This is a very abnormal presidency and the stakes are so high,” Brennan said. “That’s why I’ve decided to speak out and be outspoken.”. . .
* * *

He also defended Comey’s 86 comments.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

I don't know. But I do know this, Brennan should be tried for treason (attempt to overthrow the government) of which he is guilty. Upon conviction, he should be legally killed by the state for his crime. That death should be effected in the most cruel manner possible including (if I could get the laws changed to cause the conviction for treason to include the immediate family) showing his wife and children executed, after which his eyes should be put out so that it is the last thing he sees, half of his tongue cut off, his big toes and thumbs removed and then thrown into a pit of starving Chihuahuas to finish him off in tiny little bites. Whoever gets to observe that should record the words, uh, sounds that come out of his mouth.

Democrats made me VERY and PERMANENTLY angry for what they did to me just because they didn't like my point of view WHILE complimenting me on my work performance. I am not sure if some readers can tell the level of my upset over what happened or not. Let me know.

[Albion Wilde]

but he has never made any statements threatening physical harm or calling for violence against Trump.

That is a very broad and absolutely declarative sentence to have posted over your name. For instance, “never” would exclude anything he might have said in private or to an ally, or even as a joke. Which strains credulity, given the anti-Trump positions he has allegedly held.

If you got that text from AI, you really should credit which one, and keep your name out of center mass, so to speak.

[Elsie]

 

CLAIM: I know that there was an X post during the 2024 election where someone (I think it was Brennen or Clapper) was calling for Trump's death. Now I can find no reference to that. Can you help me out?

Copilot said:

COPILOT:  I dug into this rather than trusting either of our memories, and I think there may be a name/date collision involved.

What I can verify

I cannot find a contemporaneous 2024 X post in which either John Brennan or James Clapper called for Donald Trump to be killed. I tried combinations specifically involving Brennan, Clapper, Trump, killing/death, assassination, X/Twitter, and 2024. The searches turn up their political criticism of Trump, but not the post you're remembering. For example, current reporting continues to describe Brennan and Clapper as longtime Trump critics, without surfacing such a death-threat post.foxnews

But there are two remarkably similar things that could explain the memory.

1. James Comey's "86 47" post

James Comey, another major Obama-era intelligence/law-enforcement figure often mentioned alongside Brennan and Clapper, posted a photograph of seashells arranged as"86 47." It generated accusations that the message meant eliminating or killing the 47th president. Comey removed it and said he had assumed it was a political message and did not intend violence. The Secret Service investigated it.mustreadalaska

The catch is important: that happened May 15, 2025, not during the 2024 election.mustreadalaska

That is exactly the incident people on the Free Republic thread you're looking at are suggesting to you as well.

2. Margaret Brennan immediately after the Butler shooting

There's another Brennan, Margaret Brennan of CBS. In the hours after Donald Trump was shot at Butler on July 13, 2024, she criticized Trump's initial statement for not calling for "lowering the temperature" or telling supporters not to retaliate. That really did occur during the 2024 campaign, immediately following an attempt on Trump's life.foxnews

But she wasn't advocating Trump's death. Her remarks were about preventing further political violence.foxnews

My forensic read

Your memory doesn't strike me as completely invented. I suspect several very similar memory "tokens" have become attached:

Brennan / Clapper / Comey
→ Obama-era intelligence leadership
→ fierce Trump antagonists
→ ominous social-media message concerning Trump
→ interpreted publicly as a death reference
→ Comey's "86 47" seashell post

The strongest match is therefore James Comey, not John Brennan or James Clapper, but the temporal part of your memory would be off by roughly six months: May 2025 rather than the 2024 election.mustreadalaska

And there's a second possible source of the "Brennan + assassination + 2024" association: Margaret Brennan's very widely circulated comments immediately following the Butler assassination attempt.foxnews

So I wouldn't yet conclude that the thing you remember has been scrubbed from the Internet. At this point I simply haven't found evidence that the specific Brennan/Clapper X post existed.

If you remember even one distinctive word or phrase from the alleged post, that's the best next breadcrumb. I can search that language rather than the person's name, which is often much better at recovering old reposts, screenshots, quotations, and archived references.

[Steely eyed killer of the deep]

From Grok:

“Thought for 11s

No. There is no record of former CIA Director John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan
) posting on X that Donald Trump needed to be “killed.”

cnn.com

Brennan has been a frequent, harsh critic of Trump. His posts have called Trump’s Helsinki press conference with Putin “nothing short of treasonous,” described the administration as a “kakistocracy,” labeled Trump an “existential threat,” urged impeachment after January 6, and more recently argued the 25th Amendment was “written with Donald Trump in mind.” He has also used terms like “loathsome,” “unhinged,” and “despot.” None of those posts, or any others from his account that mention Trump and death or killing, say Trump should be killed.”