‘I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,’ Comey said
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A photo of seashells and a series of four numbers have landed former FBI Director James Comey in hot water.
Federal law enforcement officials said on May 15 that they are investigating an Instagram post Comey made depicting an image reading “8647.”
Some supporters of President Donald Trump interpreted the post as a threat against Trump. Comey took down the photo and said in a subsequent Instagram post that he was unaware the message could have been associated with violence.
A federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity that the Secret Service was sending agents to question Comey about his post.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees the Secret Service, said on X that DHS and the Secret Service were “investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
Comey was in charge of the investigative arm of the Department of Justice from 2013 until he was fired by Trump in 2017.
Here’s what to know about the post in question, including the apparent political message some say is behind it.
What did James Comey post? Picture included ‘8647’
In a now-deleted picture on Instagram, Comey posted the number 8647 formed by seashells on the beach, according to Reuters.
“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey said.
In a subsequent post on May 15, Comey said he saw the shells on a beach walk and assumed they were merely a political message.
“I didn’t realize 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,” Comey said.
What does ‘8647’ mean? Possible message behind Comey’s post
Comey’s post was interpreted by some as saying to “86” No. 47 — Trump is the 47th president.
According to Merriam-Webster, “86” is used as a colloquial term meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.”
The origin of the term is debated, with one theory saying it came from when barkeeps threw disorderly guests out of a former New York bar called Chumley’s, which was located at 86 Bedford St.
Another version, cited in the book “The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York,” was that during Prohibition, police would call the bartenders at Chumley’s to ‘86’ their patrons out the 86 Bedford door so they wouldn’t have to arrest them.
Merriam-Webster says the term came from 1930s soda-counter slang, meaning that an item was sold out and may have originated from the term “nix,” a phrase still used by wait staff in restaurants and bars.
Contributing: Josh Meyer, USA TODAY
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected].