Former FBI Director James Comey has provoked an outcry from the Trump administration after he briefly posted a photo to Instagram that federal officials alleged was a call for violence against President Trump — a claim Comey pushed back on.
The image shared by Comey — a longtime Trump foe — showed seashells in sand arranged to form the numbers “86 47,” according to screenshots shared by Trump administration officials.
He did not make his meaning clear, but administration officials and some of his supporters interpreted the numbers as referring to Mr. Trump’s status as the 47th president and the slang term “eighty-six,” which has often been used to mean “eject” or “remove.”
Comey later deleted the image. In a follow-up Instagram post Thursday night, Comey wrote that he “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.”
CBS News has reached out to Comey’s attorneys for comment.
Noem says post is under investigation
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that the issue is under investigation. She said Comey “just called for the assassination” of Mr. Trump, and added her agency and the Secret Service are “investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
Current FBI Director Kash Patel said in a separate statement that, “We are aware of the recent tweet by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director (Sean) Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
A Secret Service spokesperson told CBS News in a statement it “vigorously investigates 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 and we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich wrote in his own social media post Comey’s message “can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States,” and said it is “being taken seriously.”
Comey and Trump have sparred for years. Comey served as FBI director from 2013 until he was fired by Mr. Trump in 2017, during the president’s first White House term.
That firing ultimately set into motion Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation into allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and that the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin. Mr. Trump has repeatedly denounced those allegations as a “hoax.”
For his part, Comey has been a vocal critic of Mr. Trump since his firing, calling him “morally unfit” to be president in a 2018 interview.
Mr. Trump was the target of two assassination attempts during his presidential campaign last year. During a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Mr. Trump, grazing his ear with a bullet. One rally attendee was killed and two more were wounded.
On Sept. 14, a man was arrested on allegations he attempted to assassinate Mr. Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach by aiming a rifle through shrubbery.
What does “86 47” mean?
It’s unclear what Comey meant with his Instagram post, but according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to “eighty-six” means to “throw out” or “get rid of” something.
It originates from 1930s soda counter slang, which meant that an item was sold out, Merriam-Webster says. The term can also refer to people: To “Eighty-six” an inebriated bar patron is to kick them out or refuse service to them, the dictionary said.
Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston.
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