Former FBI chief James Comey is under scrutiny by US security officials over a cryptic social media post that has been interpreted by Donald Trump supporters as a veiled threat against the President. Comey, who was fired by Trump during his first term, has deleted the post after he faced severe backlash from Republicans and members of Congress.
The controversy started after Comey posted a photo on Instagram of seashells arranged to form the number “8647”. “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” the caption on the post read. As the post went viral, several officials and Trump’s supporters said it appeared to be calling for the assassination of the President.
WHAT IS ‘8647’?
But, what does ‘8647’ mean? In the US, “86” is commonly used as slang to call for someone to be “thrown out” or “to get rid of”. “47” has been perceived as a code to indicate Trump, the 47th President of the US.
Thus, by joining the two numbers (8647), some Trump supporters interpreted the message as one to violently remove Trump, including by assassination.
As the controversy broke out, Comey, a fierce critic of Trump, clarified that he did not realise the image could be interpreted as a threat and deleted his post.
“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 realise 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,” he said.
US OFFICIALS SEEK PROBE, SLAM COMEY
The post was first flagged by Donald Trump Jr, who accused the former FBI director of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered”. Several Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have called for an investigation.
“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of Trump. DHS and Secret Service are investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” Noem tweeted.
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said Trump’s presidency has left the “deep state desperate and dangerous”.
“While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States – a message etched in the sand,” Budowich said.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the post cannot be underestimated. “The dangerousness of this cannot be underestimated. We have had two assassination attempts on the President’s life,” she said.
The incident comes months after Trump was left with a gashing wound in his ear during an assassination attempt that took place while he was holding a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024.
