
Former FBI Director James Comey is being investigated by the US Secret Service after a post he made and then deleted on Instagram, which some Republicans interpreted as a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
Comey posted a photo of a seashell "creation" forming the numbers "8647," accompanied by the caption: "Beautiful shell formation during my walk on the beach."
The number "86" is a slang term that can mean "to get rid of" or, in some cases, "to kill," according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
While Trump is the 47th president of the United States, which led the combination "8647" to be interpreted by some as a coded message to eliminate the president.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the post as a call to assassinate Trump and announced that her department, along with the Secret Service, would investigate the matter.
Comey, after deleting the post, responded by saying that he had not intended the numbers to have any political message. “I didn’t realize that some people were associating these numbers with violence,” he said. “I am against any form of violence, so I decided to delete the post.”
Current FBI Director Kash Patel also confirmed that the FBI is in contact with the Secret Service on this matter and will provide any assistance necessary.
James Comey served as FBI director from 2013 to 2017. He was fired by Trump during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.