Washington:
Former FBI Director James Comey has faced significant backlash after sharing a photo of a shell arrangement labeled “86 47.” Many interpreted this as a subtle threat directed at former President Donald Trump right after the post was made on social media.
The number “86” is American slang for exclusion, while “47” relates to Trump, the 47th president of the United States.
Comey, who was dismissed by Trump in 2017, posted the image on Instagram with the caption “Cool Shell Formation on My Beach Walk” but later deleted it.
Who is James Comey?
- James Comey was born on December 14, 1960, in Yonkers, New York, growing up in Arendale, New Jersey in an Irish-American family. He graduated from William & Mary University in 1982 with studies in chemistry and religion, later earning his law degree from the University of Chicago in 1985.
- His legal career began in 1987 as a U.S. Attorney’s Assistant for the Southern District of New York under Rudy Giuliani. He became a partner at McGuirewoods Law Firm in Virginia in 1993 and returned to public service in 1996 as a U.S. Attorney’s Assistant for the Eastern District of Virginia.
- Comey became U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 2002, handling high-profile cases like Martha Stewart’s financial misconduct trial in 2004.
- He was appointed Deputy Attorney General in December 2003 and faced criticism for his stance on detaining U.S. citizen Jose Padilla as an enemy combatant.
- Leaving the Department of Justice in 2005, Comey served as legal counsel at Lockheed Martin and later joined Bridgewater Associates in 2010 as general counsel.
- In June 2013, he was appointed as FBI Director by former President Barack Obama, officially taking the role on September 4, 2013.
- Comey led the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server in 2016, ultimately clearing her of criminal wrongdoing but critiquing her judgment. His actions during the investigation sparked extensive debate about potential influence on the 2016 presidential election outcome.
- As FBI Director, he confirmed an investigation into potential connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump eventually fired Comey on May 9, 2017.
- Following his dismissal, Comey documented Trump’s request to discontinue the investigation into Michael Flynn, later testifying before the Senate regarding his concerns about the president’s behavior, including recording conversations with Trump.
- In 2018, Comey published his book, Higher Loyalty, in which he criticized Trump’s ethics, a work that inspired the 2020 miniseries Comey Rule.
