President Trump Friday accused James Comey of threatening to “assassinate” him after the former FBI director posted a photo of sea shells arranged to spell the numbers “8647.”
Trump says the numerical message, which Comey has since deleted from Instagram, amounts to a threat because “86” is slang for getting rid of someone and Trump is the 47th president.
“He knew exactly what that meant,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News during his weeklong Middle East trip. “A child knows what that meant.”
“He’s calling for the assassination of the president,” Trump added.
Comey, a longtime Trump critic who was fired by the president in his first term, says he didn’t mean any harm by the numerical message, originally posting on Instagram that he stumbled on the “cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
Comey quickly deleted the post after Trump administration officials and other Republicans unleashed a chorus of outrage and called for a criminal probe.
“I assumed (the numbers) were a political message,” Comey said. “I didn’t realize some folks associate the numbers with violence. It never occured to me but I oppose violence so I deleted the post.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal law enforcement is investigating Comey over the post. She says the message calls for the assassination of Trump, who cheated death last summer when a would-be assassin opened fire on him at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
“DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” Noem wrote.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency would “provide support” to the Secret Service and other agencies probing the post. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Comey should be arrested.
Despite the storm of criticism, the term “86” doesn’t mean to kill or even violently attack someone.
Merriam-Webster dictionary says “86” is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It reportedly originated with a term in the restaurant industry referring to a sold-out menu item.
Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, a staunch Trump ally, once proudly boasted that he “86’d” several establishment Republican figures after outmaneuvering them in Congress.
Comey, who was FBI director from 2013 to 2017, announced the FBI was investigating evidence related to Hillary Clinton’s emails just days before the 2016 presidential election, a move that critics say swung undecided voters to Trump and helped him win.
However, he later earned Trump’s ire over the bureau’s separate investigation into ties between Russian officials and Trump’s 2016 campaign, though he didn’t disclose the existence of that probe before the American people went to the polls.
The one-time lawman is now a crime fiction writer. He is promoting his latest book, “FDR Drive,” which is being released on Tuesday.
