The U.S. federal investigation agency has launched an inquiry into whether a social media photo posted by former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey is related to ‘Trump assassination incitement.’
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem said on the 15th (local time) on X that “disgraced former FBI Director Comey incited the assassination of President Trump” and added, “DHS and the United States Secret Service (USSS) are investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
The controversy began with a photo Comey posted on Instagram. He shared a picture of seashells arranged in the shape of ’86 47′ and captioned it, “A beautiful shell arrangement I saw on the beach boardwalk.”
According to the Associated Press, Merriam-Webster’s dictionary explains that ’86′ is slang meaning to throw out, get rid of, or refuse service to.
According to Merriam-Webster, “the recently adopted meanings include ‘to kill,’ but due to rare usage, it is not included.”
‘47’ has been interpreted to refer to Trump, the 47th president, after serving as the 45th president.
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Trump, along with senior officials from the White House, strongly criticized that the photo posted by Comey incites the assassination of Trump.
Current FBI Director Kash Patel noted that he is aware of the controversy surrounding Comey’s post and promised to provide “all necessary support” to the U.S. Secret Service, which has primary investigative jurisdiction.
As the controversy escalated, Comey deleted the post and stated, “I did not realize that these numbers were associated with violence,” adding, “I have never thought such a thing, and I removed the post in opposition to violence.”
Comey’s clarification indicates that ’86 47′ only meant “to remove Trump from the presidency” or “not to cooperate with the Trump administration,” and does not imply incitement to assassination.
Comey served as FBI Director from 2013 until 2017. However, he was dismissed during the Trump administration before completing his 10-year term. At that time, the FBI was investigating connections between the Russian government and Trump’s election campaign.
Comey has published a memoir based on his FBI career and has recently been living as a crime novelist.