Clarification Post
In a post on Instagram, he said, “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 realise some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down.”What does 8647 mean?
This number ‘8647’ was regarded as an assassination threat against US President Donald Trump. The number 86 is used in American slang that means “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to”, while 47 could refer to the 47th US President.
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Reactions
Donald Trump Jr criticised him and said, “Just James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!”
Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered.
This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!! pic.twitter.com/4LUK6crHAT— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 15, 2025
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Secret Service and DHS were investigating the post. On X, she wrote, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer slammed Comey, writing, “Former FBI Director James Comey @Comey just posted this on his Instagram 2 hours ago, with the caption “cool shell formation on my beach walk”. It’s a pic of shells in the form of “86 47”. This is a call for the assassination of President Trump by the former FBI Director!”
Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications for the US Secret Service, said, “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.”
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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. pic.twitter.com/uhYSB7GYvt
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) May 16, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel also mentioned that they were in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. He wrote, “Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
About James Comey
James Comey served as the director of the FBI between 2013-17. His tenure as FBI Director was marked by significant events, including the investigation into Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s email and inquiring between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Early in his first term, Trump fired him in May 2017 amid an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
