Ex-FBI Director James Comey interviewed by Secret Service over controversial ‘86 47’ social media post

The incident in question pertains to a photograph of seashells Comey shared on his personal Instagram account that formed the numbers "86" and "47," which the Trump administration and many on social media interpreted as a call to assassinate the president. The number "86" is a common slang term that means to get rid of something for good. Trump is the 47th President of the United States.

Comey, 64, captioned the Thursday post: "Cool shell formation on my beach walk." The photo sparked immediate public outcry, resulting in Comey deleting the post and claiming ignorance. "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down," said Comey.

Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, condemned Comey in a post on X and announced that he had been placed under federal investigation. "Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey called for the assassination of [President] Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately," Noem said.

FBI Director Kash Patel added, "We are aware of the recent tweet by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support."

President Trump discussed the incident on Friday in a Fox News interview with Brett Baier, rejecting Comey's claim of ignorance. "He knew exactly what that meant," said Trump. "A child knows what that meant...That meant 'assassination'."

James Comey was fired by President Trump as the Director of the FBI in 2017. He had served as head of the agency since 2013 before his termination.