Federal authorities are investigating whether a message posted on social media by former FBI Director James Comey was meant to be a threat against President Donald Trump.
Comey, who was fired by Trump in his first term, posted an image on Instagram Thursday of seashells in the sand spelling the numbers “8647.”
The number “86” often is used to refer to getting rid of something. Trump is the 47th (and 45th) U.S. president.
“We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X. “We are in communication with the Secret Service and [Secret Service] Director [Sean] Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
Comey later took the image down and posted a message on Instagram: “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. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the Secret Service and DHS were investigating.
Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for Secret Service, confirmed the agency was aware of Comey’s posts.
“The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” he said in a statement. “We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI director and we take rhetoric like this very seriously.”
Guglielmi said the Secret Services does not comment on protective intelligence matters.
Comey oversaw the investigation of the now debunked claims that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential campaign.
