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The United States Secret Service has formally interviewed former FBI Director James Comey over a now-deleted social media post featuring the numbers “8647,” which some say was a death threat against the 47th president, Donald Trump.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, “86” is a slang term that implies eliminating or getting rid of someone entirely. Some say the expression specifically refers to “8 feet long” and “6 feet deep or wide”—a reference to the dimensions of a grave. The number also has roots in American bar and restaurant culture, where it can mean to remove or cancel an item—such as taking it off the menu. Two days ago, Comey posted a photo on Instagram that showed seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47.” He also captioned the photo: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk…” In response to the growing uproar, Comey deleted the post and issued a follow-up message on Instagram. He said, “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 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.”
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Comey was escorted to the US Secret Service’s Washington, DC, field office on Friday, where he voluntarily submitted to questioning regarding his post. Comey told investigators that he had seen the shells during a beach walk with his wife and believed the arrangement could be an address or a political statement. According to a source familiar with the investigation, Comey claimed he had no knowledge of the number’s potentially violent meaning and removed the post after a family member alerted him to its possible interpretation.
President Trump, who survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign, rejected Comey’s explanation. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said, “A child knows what that meant. That meant assassination. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.” Trump added, “He wasn’t very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did it for a reason.” When asked if he wanted to see Comey arrested, Trump said, “I’ll let [Attorney General] Pam Bondi handle that.”
Echoing Trump’s outrage, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said, “I’m very concerned for the president’s life, and James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.”
