Ex-FBI head Comey faces scrutiny after 'death threat' to Trump in '86 47' post
Merriam-Webster dictionary says 86 is slang meaning 'to throw out', 'to get rid of', and even the meaning of 'to kill', creating suspicion of an attempt to remove the President
The former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey has come under heavy scrutiny by US intelligence officials after a cryptic post of his on social media, seemingly calling for the removal of the 47th President of the United States Donald Trump.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday (May 15) that federal law enforcement is investigating the social media post made by Comey that she and other Republicans claim is a call for violence.
Threat being probed
In an Instagram post earlier in the day, Comey wrote “cool shell formation on my beach walk” under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for “86 47.”
Numerous Trump administration officials, including Noem, claimed that Comey was advocating for the assassination of Trump, the 47th president.
“DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” Noem wrote.
The post was first flagged by Donald Trump Jr, who accused the former FBI director of "casually calling for my dad to be murdered".
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The post has since been deleted.
Comey subsequently 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 realise some folks associate those numbers with violence."
Comey further added, “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind. So I took the post down.”
Meaning of '86 47'
Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of”, or “to refuse service to.”
It explains further, “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of to kill."
This is the reason for the Republican backlash, as it looks like a call for the removal of the President.
Current FBI Director Kash Patel said he was aware of the post and was conferring with the Secret Service and its director.
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James Blair, White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political, and public affairs, noted that the post came at a delicate time given that Trump is travelling in the Middle East, with stops in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“This is a Clarion Call from Jim Comey to terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East,” Blair wrote on X.
Comey - now a writer
The incident comes months after Trump was left with a gashing wound on his ear during an assassination attempt that took place while he was holding a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024.
Comey, who was the FBI director from 2013 to 2017 during the administrations of both Obama and Trump, was fired by Trump during his first term amid the bureau's probe into allegations of ties between Russian officials and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
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Comey wrote about his career in his best-selling memoir A Higher Loyalty. He is now a crime fiction writer with two published books and is promoting FDR Drive, his latest book releasing on May 20.