Former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin returned to the public eye and bristled during an exchange with a fellow CNN panelist on Tuesday.
McLaughlin, who left the Trump administration in February, joined anchor Kasie Hunt for the first time on CNN during the live broadcast to discuss the Department of Justice's indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, who was charged with threatening the life of President Donald Trump. The indictment stemmed from an image of seashells that Comey posted on Instagram while on a beach walk along the North Carolina coast last year that said "8647."
"I do think it's worth pointing out. Getting a grand jury to hand down an indictment. It does take a bit of time. So this was not something that was done immediately in response to Saturday's event," Hunt said.
Comey, who Trump has viewed as his political foe, has now been indicted twice.
"Kasie that's such an important distinction here because [President] Donald Trump or [acting Attorney General] Todd Blanche did not indict this individual," McLaughlin said. "It was a federal grand jury that did. And I do have to say, you know, I think if Kash Patel, if he posted this image, '8648' to a future president Kamala Harris or a future president Gavin Newsom, I think that every single person at this table would really take real issue with it."
McLaughlin argued it would be up to the grand jury to determine if that was a criminal act.
"And that's what it's going to have to be seen, what that evidence is and what the charges are actually brought forward," she added. "But I do think it's important we see that evidence. And by the way, the comment that '86' just means something to do with getting someone out of a restaurant — a lot of people in the law enforcement community use '86' as talking about a public execution or execution by mobsters, which is eight miles out that I worked at a Department of Homeland Security DOJ."
Xochitl Hinojosa, a CNN political commentator and former DOJ spokesperson, interjected McLaughlin's comments.
"They did not use it at the FBI," Hinojosa said, pushing back on McLaughlin's claims.
McLaughlin was annoyed by Hinojosa's interruption.
"I let you speak, if you'll let me," McLaughlin said. "Eight miles out and six feet deep to bury a body. So that has been used. So if he hasn't heard that phrase, if you haven't heard that phrase, I'm very surprised."