Chicago – May 16, 2025
The Trump administration is looking into a social media post made by former FBI Director James Comey after some people thought it might be a threat to President Trump.
On Thursday, Comey posted a photo on Instagram showing seashells arranged in the numbers “8647” with the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Some people saw this as a hidden message. The number “86” is a slang term that means to “get rid of” someone, and since President Trump is both the 45th and 47th president, some believed it was a message about him.
The number “86” is sometimes used to mean “to kill,” though it’s not always understood this way. Merriam-Webster explains the term mostly means to “refuse service to someone” in a restaurant setting, but it has other meanings in some cases.
After the post caused a lot of upset, including accusations from Donald Trump Jr. that Comey was calling for his father’s death, Comey took down the picture. He explained that he thought the shells were a political message, not a violent one, but it is unclear who made the shell arrangement.
Some Republican politicians are now calling for Comey to face punishment, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announcing that the Secret Service and her department are looking into the post and will take appropriate action.
