A social media publish has dragged former FBI director James Comey right into a maelstrom of accusations from critics that he known as for the assassination of United States President Donald Trump.
Comey, a fierce Trump critic, denied in an announcement that the picture he took and shared on Instagram was a name for violence, including that “I oppose violence of any sort.” He has since taken down the picture in query.
His rebuttal has, nonetheless, completed little to calm Trump’s supporters, with the nation’s Homeland Safety Division and the Secret Service asserting on Thursday that they have been investigating the incident.
Right here’s a breakdown of what occurred:
What did Comey Publish?
Comey shared an Instagram picture on Thursday exhibiting seashells on a seashore organized within the numbers “86 47”.
“Cool shell formation on my seashore stroll,” his caption learn.
Critics have been fast to level out that the quantity “86” refers to previous US slang that refers to “eliminating” one thing, or “eradicating one thing”. The slang was extremely in use in eating places again within the Nineteen Thirties, and often signalled to waiters and prospects that an merchandise on a menu was bought out and couldn’t be offered.
The “47”, they declare, refers to Trump’s present time period in workplace because the forty seventh president of the US.
Comey, on the identical day, took the picture down. In a separate Instagram publish, the previous intelligence boss defined that he took the picture whereas “on a seashore stroll, which I assumed have been a political message”.
“I didn’t realise some people affiliate these numbers with violence. It by no means occurred to me, however I oppose violence of any sort, so I took the publish down,” he stated.
The hashtag #8647 has beforehand, and as early as March, appeared on social media websites like TikTok amongst posters criticising Trump and calling for his removing. It has come to signify a silent code for opposing the president.
What have Trump’s allies stated?
Trump’s supporters on social media channels have denounced Comey’s publish, calling it a name for the president’s “assassination”.
Simply James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered.
That is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!! pic.twitter.com/4LUK6crHAT
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 15, 2025
President Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr on Thursday stated in an X publish that Comey had “casually known as for my dad to be murdered”, including that the publish was “demented”.
Grok, a conversational AI assistant on the Elon Musk-owned social media web site, responding to feedback from X customers asking for clarification on the that means of the numbers, stated it was “mainly a sneaky approach of claiming “eliminate Trump”. Nonetheless, the assistant additionally added that the numbers don’t “inherently imply assassinate Trump” however fairly they suggest “political removing”.
Talking on Fox Information, Nationwide Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard stated she didn’t settle for that Comey was unaware of the violent interpretation of “86 47”. Gabbard stated Comey “needs to be held accountable and put behind bars for this”.
Republican Congressman Andy Ogles stated he despatched a letter to US intelligence businesses calling for an investigation into Comey’s “disturbing” publish to see if the previous intelligence boss had violated two federal legal guidelines – threatening the president and interstate sharing of threatening communication.
Ogles additionally demanded affirmation on whether or not Comey nonetheless has entry to categorized materials due to his earlier position as FBI director.
“If Comey broke the legislation, he shouldn’t get a cross. He needs to be in handcuffs,” Ogles wrote on X.
In the meantime, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem in an X publish stated the matter was already being investigated by US intelligence authorities.
“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey simply known as for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this risk and can reply appropriately,” she posted.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on X that his company will help the investigation and “present all crucial assist”.
White Home Deputy Chief of Employees James Blair stated Comey’s publish was a name to “terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the US as he travels within the Center East”.
“Any Democrat or Media Outlet who fails to sentence this clear Incitement of Violence is complicit and have to be described as such.”
What’s Comey and Trump’s previous relationship?
Comey was appointed by former President Barack Obama. Earlier than the 2016 election, Comey investigated Hillary Clinton’s use of personal electronic mail servers throughout her time as secretary of state. Many Democrats argue that this investigation, on the eve of the vote, price her the election, by which Clinton was the occasion’s nominee towards Trump.
However Comey additionally led the FBI’s investigation into alleged Russian interference within the 2016 presidential elections, and was fired in 2017 by Trump early in his first time period in workplace.
Comey had testified to Congress that Russia did intervene within the 2016 elections. The administration’s official motive for firing him was that Comey was “ineffective”, referring to dissatisfaction with the Clinton investigation, which ultimately ended with out the politician being charged.
The foremost sticking level between Trump and Comey, in keeping with analysts, was Comey’s give attention to the Russia problem and his refusal to state in public that Trump and his Trump Organisation weren’t personally being investigated.
Comey started vocally criticising Trump following his dismissal, calling him “morally unfit” to be president and a risk to the norms of democracy in his 2018 memoir, A Greater Loyalty.
