A social media post has dragged former FBI director James Comey into a vortex of accusations from critics who sought the assassination of President Donald Trump.
A fierce Trump critic, Comey denied the photos he took and shared on Instagram, a call for violence, and in a statement that added, “I am against all sorts of violence.” He has since defeated the photo in question.
However, his counterargument did little to calm Trump supporters. The country’s Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service announced Thursday that they were investigating the incident.
Here’s a breakdown of what happened:
What did Comey post?
Comey shared an Instagram photo on Thursday.
“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” his caption read.
Critics quickly pointed out that the number “86” refers to old US slang, which refers to “remove” something or “deleting something.” Slang was very used in restaurants in the 1930s, and usually informed waiters and customers that items on the menu were sold out and could not be served.
“47” claims to refer to Trump’s current term as the 47th president of the United States.
On the same day, Comey took a photo. In another Instagram post, the former intelligence boss explained that he took the photo, “on the beach walk I thought was a political message.”
“I didn’t realize I was linking those numbers to violence. It never happened to me, but I’m against any kind of violence, so I took down the post,” he said.
Hashtag #8647 previously, and as early as March, appeared on social media sites like Tiktok in posters criticizing Trump and calling for his removal. It now represents silent codes to oppose the president.
What did Trump’s allies say?
Trump supporters on social media channels have denounced Comey’s posts, calling it a call to “assassinate” the president.
Just as James Comey causally calls for my father to be murdered.
This is someone demmedia worships. Dementia!!!! pic.twitter.com/4luk6crhat
– Donald Trump Jr. (@donaldjtrumpjr) May 15, 2025
President Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. said in a post on X that Comey “casually called for his father to be murdered,” adding that the post had “dementia.”
Grok, a conversational AI assistant for the social media site owned by Elon Musk, responded to comments from X users who wanted an explanation about the meaning of the numbers, saying, “It’s basically a silly way to say ‘get rid of cards’.
Speaking about Fox News, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said he would not accept Comey’s unaware of the violent interpretation of “86 47.” Gabbard said Comey should be “accountable and put it behind the bar for this.”
Republican Rep. Andy Ogres said he sent a letter to the US Intelligence Agency, seeking an investigation into Comey’s “disturbing” posts to see if the former Intelligence Election boss violated two federal laws.
Ogles also requested confirmation that Comey still has access to the classified material due to his previous role as FBI director.
“If Comey breaks the law, he shouldn’t get a pass. He should be handcuffed,” Ogles wrote to X.
Meanwhile, Christy Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security for X-Post, said the issue is already being investigated by the US intelligence agency.
“Disgraceful FBI Director James Comey has called for the assassination of @Potus Trump. DHS and the Secret Service are investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed with X that his agency will assist in the investigation and “providing all the support you need.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair said Comey’s post was a call to “terrorists and hostile administrations to kill the US president while traveling the Middle East.”
“The Democrats and media outlets who did not condemn this clear inciting violence are complicity and must explain it that way.”
What is Comey and Trump’s past relationship?
Comey was appointed by former President Barack Obama. Before the 2016 election, Comey investigated Hillary Clinton’s use of private mail servers during her time as Secretary of State. Many Democrats argue that the investigation costed the election, when Clinton was the party’s candidate against Trump, on the eve of the vote.
However, Comey also led the FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and was fired early in his first term in 2017 by Trump.
Comey had testified to Congress that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. The official reason for the administration that fired him was that Comey “ineffective” and pointed to Clinton’s complaints about his investigation, which ultimately ended with no politicians being charged.
According to analysts, the main point of attachment between Trump and Comey was that Comey focused on Russian issues, and that Trump and his Trump organization were not personally investigated.
Comey began to voice Trump after his firing, calling him a 2018 memoir, “morally unfit” to the norms of democracy in higher loyalty.