Former FBI Director James Comey is facing a federal investigation after he posted an image that U.S. officials say appeared to call for the assassination of President Donald Trump.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that federal law enforcement is reviewing Comey’s Instagram post showing a photo of seashells with the caption “cool shell formation on my beach walk,” which showed an arrangement of shells into the numbers “86 47.”
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Trump administration officials, including Noem, interpreted the message as a reference to kill Trump, the 47th president.
The term “86” is commonly understood as slang for removing or discarding something, potentially through violence or even murder.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating this threat and will respond accordingly,” Noem stated.
Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 15, 2025
DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.
Comey has since removed the post and offered clarification, claiming he was unaware that the numbers could be associated with violent connotations. “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,” Comey wrote in a follow-up statement. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
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The image drew swift backlash from conservatives online, with Donald Trump Jr. accusing Comey of encouraging violence against his father.
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