FBI and Secret Service reviewing social media post by former Director Comey

The FBI is reviewing a controversial social media post by former Director James Comey that appeared to reference President Trump.

On Thursday, current FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is aware of the post and is in communication with the U.S. Secret Service and its director. “Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,” Patel said in a statement posted online.

The announcement follows a now-deleted Instagram post by Comey showing the numbers “8647” arranged in the sand with shells and stones, captioned, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” The post offered no further context.

While the number “47” in the image can be interpreted as a reference to Trump’s presidency, it is the inclusion of “86” that has drawn attention. The number “86” is occasionally used in American slang to mean “get rid of” or “eliminate,” prompting speculation about the intent of the full number sequence.

No direct threats were made in the post, and authorities have not commented on whether any criminal investigation has been opened. The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president, holds primary jurisdiction in such matters.

“We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” said Secret Service Spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. “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.

Comey served as FBI Director from 2013 until May 2017, when he was dismissed by President Trump amid a federal investigation into Russian election interference. Since then, Comey has remained a vocal critic of Trump, while Trump has repeatedly attacked Comey publicly, accusing him of political bias and misconduct.