Comey has since deleted the post.
According to a Fox News report, former FBI Director James Comey was blasted by conservatives this week for sharing a social media post seemingly calling for violence against President Donald Trump.
The Secret Service has launched an investigation after Comey posted an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to read “86 47” — a message White House officials quickly slammed as a veiled threat against the 47th president.
Comey deleted the post following swift backlash from lawmakers, government officials, and President Donald Trump’s son. Trump has survived two assassination attempts in the past year, one of which left him wounded and a bystander dead.
Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered.
This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!! pic.twitter.com/4LUK6crHAT
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 15, 2025
Comey deleted the post after the backlash.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” the subsequent post from Comey said. “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.”
DNI Tulsi Gabbard unloaded on Comey on Fox News Thursday night.
“That is a ridiculous and insane statement to make, certainly within this context, but especially coming from a guy who’s the former director of the FBI. A guy who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters. People who know and execute other humans and use this exact lingo of 86,” Gabbard said when asked if she believed Comey’s excuse that he didn’t know the numbers’ meaning.
“Comey himself admitted in his follow-on message that he knew that this was a political statement. The only reason he knew that, Jesse, was because a little over a month ago a bunch of anti-Trump anti-Elon Musk protesters were proliferating the use of this 86 47 slogan, which was a veiled call to action to murder the sitting president of the United States,” Gabbard added. “So for Comey to think that we the American people are so stupid as to think that he as a former FBI director, former prosecutor and someone who clearly pays attention to what’s going on would believe his lie. That he did not know what this actually was calling for.”
Watch the clip below:
James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President of the United States.
As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the… pic.twitter.com/zvbu5Vf0zg
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) May 16, 2025
In response to Comey’s post, the White House swiftly condemned Comey’s actions, and White House deputy chief of staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich called the move “deeply concerning.”
“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 wrote on X. “This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.”
President Trump also reacted to Comey’s post, saying Comey “did it for a reason.”
TRUMP REACTS after former FBI Director James Comey posts “86 47” in alleged social media hit:
“He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant…That meant assassination.” pic.twitter.com/6YduSLsr0A
— MxM News (@mxmnews) May 16, 2025
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