Federal agencies are taking action against James Comey after the former FBI Director posted a statement allegedly threatening President Donald Trump.
The post, shells on a beach placed in a formation reading “86 47,” was met with widespread backlash and later taken down. Comey said in the caption of the social media post, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
The number “86” is often associated with elimination or removal.
After removing the post, Comey wrote, “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. 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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel condemned Comey’s post, writing on X, “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.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Nomen similarly said, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS
Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
Chief of Communications for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, noted, “We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees. We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI Director & we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard asserted that Comey “should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.”
President Trump said that Comey “knew exactly what that means. A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI Director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant ‘assassination.'”
Comey previously urged FBI and Department of Justice agents to “sleep, love, [and] laugh” as a means of resisting what he called the “evil” within President Trump’s administration.
