President Donald Trump has voiced his belief that a recent Instagram post by former FBI director James Comey, which featured shells arranged to form the number “8647,” is a veiled invitation for his assassination.
During an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News, Trump asserted he understands the message Comey intended to convey.
“He knew exactly what it meant. The kids know what it meant. It means ‘assassination,'” Trump claimed.
On Thursday, Comey shared the photo on Instagram, captioning it as a “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
The number “86” is commonly associated with eliminating something or someone, like when something is removed from a menu due to being problematic.
Thus, “86 47” seems to imply a coded message advocating for the removal of the 47th president.
Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem stated that both the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating the matter.
“He’s asking for the president to be assassinated,” Trump remarked. “He’s a dirty cop.”
The president further noted that it would be up to Attorney General Pam Bondy to decide how to handle Comey’s actions, but he emphasized there’s no room for tolerance.
Donald Trump Jr. added, “James Comey casually calls out my father to be murdered, a man that Demmedia worships.”
Following the backlash, Comey deleted the post, explaining that he believes “some” people misinterpret the photo as inciting violence.
“I previously posted some husk photos I saw today on a beach walk. I thought this was a political message. I didn’t notice people linking those numbers to violence,” Comey stated. “It never happened to me, but I’m against all sorts of violence, so I took down the post.”
Meanwhile, Comey has continued to openly criticize Trump, especially after being dismissed from his role in 2017. In various interviews, he has consistently condemned Trump’s leadership style and questioned his moral fitness for the presidency.
