Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed on Friday by the US Secret Service following an Instagram post that supporters of claimed was a veiled threat on the president’s life.
The now-deleted post showed seashells arranged to form the shapes “86 47.” Comey posted it with a comment: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
Trump supporters interpreted it as a call to harm the 47th president.
Merriam-Webster dictionary says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” The dictionary publisher also said one of the recent adoptions also means “to kill,” although it adds: “We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”
he was unaware of any violent connotation, adding “I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Trump calls Comey ‘dirty cop’
Despite his explanation, Trump and top administration officials rejected Comey’s defense.
“He knew exactly what that meant,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Friday. Labeling Comey a “dirty cop,” Trump said the was calling for the “assassination of the president.”
The president added that any legal action would be decided by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Comey’s interview on X, saying she would “take all measures necessary to ensure the protection” of the president.
Current FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency would “provide all necessary support.”
Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said, “We fully support the Secret Service investigation into Comey’s threat on President Trump’s life.”
Trump, Comey at loggerheads
The president and the former FBI director have a contentious relationship.
During his first term, Trump fired Comey in 2017, as the latter investigated the Trump 2016 presidential campaign’s
Comey has also long been a vocal critic of the president. In a 2018 interview, he called Trump “morally unfit” to lead.
Edited by Sean Sinico
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