Former FBI Director James Comey has made quite a fuss. He shared on Instagram a photo of seashells laid out to form the numbers “8647.” That seemingly innocent post, captioned “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” was taken down within minutes of posting. Comey served as the FBI’s director from 2013 until he was fired by President Donald Trump in 2017. He later admitted that he thought the specific placement of the shells sent an explicit political signal.
The number “86” has a host of meanings, depending on the context. In contemporary slang usage, to cancel is frequently to reject or dispose of something. In recent years, it has been used with a more sinister intent, as a wink-wink, nod-nod invitation to violence or even assassination. Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota, reacted strongly to Comey’s post, claiming on X that he had called for Trump’s assassination.
“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of Trump.” – Kristi Noem
Comey’s tumultuous relationship with Trump has been fraught since the president fired him. This was the infamous firing that occurred amidst investigations into Russian interference with the 2016 election. It was against this chaotic background that Trump took the lead of an investigation into then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails. This inquiry happened right around the time that he won the primary.
In response to the backlash, Comey stated that he did not realize how some individuals might associate the number 86 with violence. He said he was sorry for the confusion, noting that he is against all violence.
“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” – James Comey
Following the uproar, Comey decided to delete the post, stating, “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Donald Trump Jr. weighed in on the incident through a post on X, criticizing Comey’s comments and expressing concern over their implications.
“James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered.” – Donald Trump Jr.
The aftermath of the viral post has sparked discussions between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies about possible threats targeting the former president. Kash Patel, a former official in the Trump administration, indicated that they are in touch with the Secret Service regarding the matter.
“We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.” – Kash Patel
To be clear, FBI spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in no uncertain terms that the agency will aggressively investigate any threats made against its protectees.
“We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.” – Anthony Guglielmi
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