A seemingly cryptic social media post by former FBI Director James Comey has ignited a firestorm of controversy, leading to threats against public figures and a significant drain on law enforcement resources, according to FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
The U.S. Secret Service questioned Comey on Friday after posting an image on Instagram of seashells spelling out “86 47,” a sequence widely interpreted in internet slang as a call to harm President Donald Trump.
The controversy began last Thursday when Comey shared the now-deleted photo.
The numbers “86” are commonly understood to mean “get rid of” or “throw out,” and in some slang contexts, can imply “kill or murder.”
The “47” is widely believed to refer to the 47th president. The post quickly drew sharp criticism online, with many, including a senior advisor and son of the 47th president, voicing concerns on X that the post alluded to violence.
RELATED: Comey Blames Trump Admin For “Distraction” Over 86 47 Photo, Secret Service Investigates
Comey swiftly deleted the original post and offered an explanation, stating he removed it upon realizing “some folks associate those numbers with violence.” He wrote, “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 of any kind so I took the post down.”
Despite the removal, the incident has escalated. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly stated on X that both her department and the Secret Service would investigate, alleging that Comey had “called for the assassination” of the 47th president.
President Donald Trump himself commented on Comey’s post during a Friday interview with Fox News, asserting that Comey “knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant… that meant ‘assassination.’”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino revealed on Monday that the fallout from Comey’s post is far-reaching. He stated in an X post that “copycats” are now using the “86” reference to send cryptic threats to other public figures, forcing the FBI to expend valuable time and resources investigating them.
“We are now dealing with copycats, sending cryptic threats to public figures, using the ’86’ reference,” Bongino said. “Whether they turn out to be legitimate threats or not, taxpayer-funded public safety agents are going to have to run these all out and investigate them.”
Bongino criticized the trend, attributing it to “the damage self-serving individuals, with a history of extremely poor judgment, can do when they fail to control their impulses.”
RELATED: Comey’s Cryptic Shells: Secret Service Interviews Ex-FBI Director Over “86 47” Post
The Secret Service confirmed its awareness of Comey’s initial post on Thursday, with Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi stating, “We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees. We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI Director & we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”
Comey was seen leaving the Secret Service’s Washington, D.C., field office on Friday after being interviewed.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
