James Comey, a former FBI director, caused an uproar on social media on Thursday. Comey posted an image of shells on a beach, placed to read “8647.” Many social media users took the image as a direct threat to Donald Trump. Former President Barack Obama appointed Comey, and during Trump’s first term, he was placed in charge of the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of personal emails.
What To Know
During Trump’s first term, he fired Comey for the way he handled the Clinton investigation. Since his firing, the former FBI director has been openly critical of Trump and how he handled classified documents.
On Instagram, the former FBI director shared the now-deleted post with the comment, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” His account has 130,000-plus followers, and the post quickly went viral. The post sparked a backlash and was deleted.
What People Are Saying
Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared his feelings about the post on the social media platform X: “Just James Comey casually [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!”
Meghan McCain also responded to Comey’s post on X: “Don’t know how this can be interpreted as any other way but a threat against President Trump. James Comey should at the very least get a visit from the Secret Service. Also, is everyone mentally ill?”
The term ‘86’ signifies that you want something or someone eliminated, and Trump is the 47th president. ‘86’ is also a mafia reference, meaning “take eight miles out of town and put six feet underground.”
Many view the phrase ‘8647’ as being anti-Trump, and several Republican lawmakers have called for the usage of it to be condemned.
In another Instagram post, Comey wrote that he saw the shells and “assumed” that the meaning was “political.” He added that he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” he added.
Kristi Noem, Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary, also responded on X: “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and the Secret Service are investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
FBI Speaks Out
“We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. 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,” said Kash Patel, the current director of the FBI.
Despite Comey’s Instagram posts trying to explain the post, the former FBI director is currently under investigation by the Secret Service. It is not currently known what, if any, steps the FBI, Homeland Security, or Secret Service may take.
