The United States Secret Service is investigating former FBI Director James Comey over his now-deleted Instagram post that featured seashells arranged as “8647”.
On Thursday, Comey was accused of calling for violence against US President Donald Trump. The accusation was a result of Comey's now-deleted Instagram post with the mysterious number.
Trump supporters claimed that Comey's message was political, intended as a threat to Trump. This is because the number ‘86' is seen as slang for “removing someone”. Further, they claimed that “47” referred to Trump as the 47th President of the US.
Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered.
This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!! pic.twitter.com/4LUK6crHATMay 15, 2025AdvertisementComey has rejected the allegations, noting that he was unaware of its political messaging. The Secret Service acknowledged Comey's now-deleted post but said it had not assessed its meaning, the USA Today reported.
The Secret Service is tasked with protecting the US President.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, American Slang 86 means to "get rid of". It could also mean to "refuse service to". The origin of the slang dates back to the 1930s. Back then, the soda-counter slang meant that an item was sold out. While there are many theories about the slang, the most popular one is that it is rhyming slang for nix. Nix is a commonly used American term for "cancel" or "rejection".
Advertisement"The Secret Service vigorously investigates 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 and we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., has also reacted to the development, blaming Comey for "casually" seeking violence against the US President. His post on X, on Friday, garnered nearly five million views and over 84,000 likes.
Comey's deleted post, which showed the seashells arranged as ‘8647', also had a caption. The one-line post read: "Cool shell formation on my beach walk". It was up on the social media platform for at least one hour before Comey took it down due to the controversy.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.