FBI Investigates Controversial Post by Former Director James Comey
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed Thursday that federal authorities are actively reviewing a now-deleted social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, which many have interpreted as a veiled threat against former President Donald Trump.
“We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” Patel stated on X (formerly Twitter). “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director [Kimberly] Cheatle. Primary jurisdiction rests with the Secret Service in such matters, and the FBI will provide full support as needed.”
The controversy erupted after Comey shared a photo showing seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47” — a combination that many online users interpreted as a coded message. “86” is slang for “eliminate,” while “47” refers to Trump, who is seeking to become the 47th president.
Comey captioned the post innocuously: “Cool shell formation on my beachwalk.” But the cryptic nature of the numbers sparked immediate backlash, prompting accusations of implicit threats. In a follow-up post, Comey claimed he was unaware of any violent connotation, writing, “Didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”
The incident has ignited a firestorm across social media, drawing scrutiny to the responsibility of public figures — especially former law enforcement officials — in their public communications.
