Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say
The Trump administration accused the former FBI director of insinuating a call to violence in an Instagram post, which he denied.Updated
May 16, 2025 at 6:21 p.m. EDTyesterday at 6:21 p.m. EDT
Former FBI director James B. Comey. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
Trump administration officials said Thursday that they would investigate former FBI director James B. Comey, whom they accused of threatening President Donald Trump after Comey posted a picture of seashells on a beach arranged to spell out “86 47.”
Trump is the 47th president; “86” can mean banning or removing someone, but it can also be slang for killing a person.
“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey wrote in the original Instagram post, which he quickly removed after claims that the phrase communicated the threat of violence. In a follow-up post, Comey wrote that he assumed the shells he saw “were a political message” but said he was not advocating violence.
Trump insisted in a TV interview that Comey “knew exactly” what it meant.
“If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination,” Trump told Fox News in an interview scheduled to air Friday evening. “And it says it loud and clear
The Trump administration said it’s investigating former FBI director James B. Comey’s Instagram post of seashells spelling “86 47” as a threat to the president. (Video: The Washington Post)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem also accused Comey of calling for Trump’s assassination, writing on X on Thursday that her department and the Secret Service were “investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.” FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency would “provide all necessary support” as part of the investigation.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Fox News that she believes Comey should be in jail because of the post and accused him of “issuing a hit” on Trump.
Asked what he wanted to happen to Comey, Trump told Fox News host Bret Baier it was up to “Pam and all of the great people,” referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Comey visited the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office around 5:30 p.m. on Friday for an interview about his social media post, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The interview ended before 8:30 p.m. Agents will write up their notes on the interview and present them to the Justice Department, the officials said.
Such interviews are standard practice when the Secret Service investigates potential threats against any protected. Agents are likely to have asked Comey about whether he intended to threaten Trump with his post.
