Former FBI Director James Comey was brought into the Secret Service’s Washington, D.C., field office on Friday and questioned over a cryptic Instagram post that Trump allies took as a veiled threat against the President.
The post, which Comey has since deleted, showed seashells arranged in the sand spelling out “86 47.” Online, the numbers quickly sparked outrage. “86” is slang for “get rid of,” and “47” refers to Trump’s bid to become the 47th president. Many saw the message as a call to “take out” Trump.
Comey wasn’t arrested, according to law enforcement sources. But the questioning was serious. — and sparked backlash from both sides.
The move came after Trump slammed the post and accused Comey of calling for his murder. “He knew exactly what that meant,” he said in a Fox News interview. “A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.”
Comey, for his part, said he never intended the post to be taken that way. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he said Thursday. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
On Instagram, he added: “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message.”
Now, the Secret Service is investigating whether the post was just a political jab — or something more serious.
“The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi 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.”
A decision on whether charges are filed will likely fall to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington. But legal experts say the odds are low.
“It would be an uphill battle,” one former federal prosecutor said, pointing to a recent Supreme Court ruling that raised the bar for prosecuting threats. Courts now require clear proof of intent.
Even inside the Secret Service, not everyone is convinced this case is worth the time. One agency source said the probe is unlikely to go anywhere — and called it political theater.
‘Under normal circumstances, such a post wouldn’t trigger a full investigation,” the insider said. “But under the current political climate will likely get more attention. “It’s a distraction.”
