The Secret Service has launched an investigation into former FBI Director James Comey following allegations that implied President Trump "should be assassinated" in now-deleted Instagram post. Comey shared a cryptic image on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon, showing a collection of seashells arranged to spell out: "86 47."
That particular number sequence has been associated with calls for Trump's assassination and a form of "silent resistance." The term "86" is widely recognized as slang for eliminating or removing something, often used in restaurants or bars to indicate an item is no longer available. Trump is the 47th president of the United States who survived three assassination attempts last year.
Instigating People Against the President
"Cool shell formation on my beach walk," the FBI chief-turned-crime novelist captioned the post. Given that Trump is the 47th president, some anti-Trump groups have combined the numbers as a coded message suggesting he should be assassinated.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lashed out at Comey on X just hours after the post, as outrage among MAGA supporters quickly escalated.
"Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump," she wrote.
"DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately."
Comey quickly deleted the Instagram photo, but not before it was picked up and widely circulated by conservative accounts on X.
Officials from the Trump administration, along with the president's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., also viewed Comey's post as a threat to the president's life.
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a screenshot of the former FBI director's Instagram post, writing, "Just James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered." He added, "This is who the Dem-media crowd worships. Demented!!!!"
"While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as 'a hit' on the sitting President of the United States — a message etched in the sand," White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich wrote on X. "This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously."
Things Turning too Concerning
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the bureau is "in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran," adding, "Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support."
Comey, who launched the probe into alleged ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign — a case based on the now-discredited Steele dossier — claimed he "didn't expect" the post would be interpreted by some as promoting violence.
"I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message," Comey said in a statement, posted on Instagram. " I 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."
While campaigning for re-election, Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet skimmed his ear.
Two months later, another would-be assassin hid himself in the bushes near the president's golf course in Palm Beach, Florida, carrying a rifle while Trump was playing golf. The suspect's plan to shoot and kill the then-Republican presidential candidate was thwarted when a vigilant Secret Service agent noticed the rifle and fired at the man.
Just a few months later, authorities uncovered and stopped another assassination plot linked to Iran.
