Washington, D.C. (Agencies): The U.S. Secret Service has launched an investigation into former FBI director James Comey following concerns that his recent cryptic Instagram post contained a coded threat against President Donald Trump. The inquiry was confirmed by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who stated that authorities were treating the matter with seriousness.
Comey, a longtime critic of Trump, posted an image of seashells forming the number “8647” on Thursday, captioning it: “cool shell formation on my beach walk.” However, several officials interpreted the number as a veiled threat against Trump, with some referencing Mafia slang, where “86” can mean “to eliminate”, and “47” referring to Trump as the 47th President of the United States.
Republican leaders reacted swiftly, with Kristi Noem claiming that Comey had “called for the assassination of Trump” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). She further noted that Homeland Security and the Secret Service were actively investigating the matter. A source cited by Fox News Digital stated that Secret Service agents would be dispatched to interview Comey regarding the post.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich argued that the message “can clearly be interpreted as a hit on the sitting president”, while Donald Trump Jr. accused Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered.” FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the bureau would provide full support to the Secret Service in its investigation.
In response to the controversy, Comey has since deleted the post, stating on Instagram that he had no intention of promoting violence. “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” he wrote. “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.”
Comey has been a high-profile adversary of Trump since his dismissal as FBI director in 2017, with Trump accusing him of spreading false claims as part of a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
The investigation comes amid heightened security concerns, particularly given that Trump has survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 reelection campaign. In July, a gunman opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear and killing a spectator. In September, a second would-be assassin was discovered camping outside Trump’s golf course in Florida.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether Comey will face legal consequences regarding the incident. However, the inquiry reflects growing concerns over coded threats and heightened political tensions in the lead-up to the next presidential term.