--- title: What to Know About James Comey’s Instagram ‘Threat’ Against Trump description: The Trump Administration is investigating the former FBI director for posting a photo of seashells that spelled “86 47.” canonical: https://time.com/7285796/james-comey-86-47-trump-threat-investigation-instagram-post-fbi/ author: Miranda Jeyaretnam article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-05-16T03:55:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-29T04:59:31.310Z article:section: Politics og:title: What to Know About James Comey’s Instagram ‘Threat’ Against Trump og:description: The Trump Administration is investigating the former FBI director for posting a photo of seashells that spelled “86 47.” og:url: https://time.com/7285796/james-comey-86-47-trump-threat-investigation-instagram-post-fbi/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4244c5d1b4550707/6998c6a8e2d64b019cc5f58b/jim-comey.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: James Comey Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What to Know About James Comey’s Instagram ‘Threat’ Against Trump twitter:description: The Trump Administration is investigating the former FBI director for posting a photo of seashells that spelled “86 47.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4244c5d1b4550707/6998c6a8e2d64b019cc5f58b/jim-comey.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Does ‘86 47’ Mean? Why James Comey Is Under Investigation Over an Instagram Post > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=24ecb3bf-fbdd-4b95-9ab0-a60c16082e7c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Miranda Jeyaretnam](https://time.com/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/)  ## Miranda Jeyaretnam Reporter May 16, 2025 3:55 AM UTC  Former FBI director James Comey testifies via videoconference during a 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Former FBI director James Comey testifies via videoconference during a 2020 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Stefani Reynolds—Pool/Getty Images  by [Miranda Jeyaretnam](https://time.com/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/)  ## Miranda Jeyaretnam Reporter May 16, 2025 3:55 AM UTC A beach photo is a fairly harmless Instagram post in most circumstances. But that’s not how the Trump Administration is viewing a post by former FBI Director James Comey. The Obama appointee who was fired by Donald Trump in 2017 is being investigated by federal law enforcement after posting a photo of seashells on a beach that appeared to form the shape of “86 47,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem [said](https://x.com/Sec%5FNoem/status/1923141313005785365) Thursday, claiming that the since-deleted post was a call for the assassination of the President. > [](https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1923119542848352490) ## What does 86 mean? Eighty-six is slang broadly meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to,” according to [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/eighty-six-meaning-origin), although the dictionary notes that it has recently, albeit sparsely, also been used to mean “to kill.” Forty-seven, meanwhile, is an apparent reference to Trump, who is the 47th President of the U.S. “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey wrote in the caption accompanying the Thursday Instagram post. Comey later [clarified](https://www.instagram.com/comey/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?hl=en) in a follow-up post, “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were 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.” ## What is Comey’s relationship with Trump? Comey led the FBI’s investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as the probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of her personal email. While many Democrats [blamed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/forgive-and-forget-no-say-clinton-backers-who-still-blame-comey-for-loss-of-presidency/2018/04/17/10d607ac-419e-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2%5Fstory.html) Comey for Clinton’s electoral loss, they [lambasted](https://www.npr.org/2017/05/09/527677009/nothing-less-than-nixonian-democrats-react-to-comey-firing) Trump’s firing of the director, who was less than four years into what was meant to be a 10-year term, amid criticisms from Republicans over his handling of the two investigations—neither of which brought about charges against either politician. Comey has since been a [public critic](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/01/10/trump-comey-rule-of-law/) of Trump and a writer: He published a memoir _A Higher Loyalty_ about his career in 2018, and his latest book _FDR Drive_, a crime fiction novel, publishes Tuesday. ## What is Comey being investigated for now? “The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” a spokesperson for the Secret Service [said](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/15/politics/james-comey-instagram-post-donald-trump-uproar) in a statement to CNN. “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are aware of the social media posts in question.” “We are aware of the recent tweet by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” FBI director Kash Patel [posted](https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1923151715777356062) on X. “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director \[Sean\] Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.” Rep. Andy Ogles (R, Tenn.) said he penned a letter to Curran and Patel calling for an immediate investigation into Comey, arguing that the post constitutes a threat against the President and is a form of interstate communication containing threats—both violations of federal law. “The Left spent years claiming Republicans were guilty of ‘stochastic terrorism’ for expressing strong political opinions. Now, a former FBI Director appears to openly endorse assassinating the President—and they say nothing,” Ogles [posted](https://x.com/RepOgles/status/1923174835418468645) on X. “If Comey broke the law, he shouldn’t get a pass. He should be in handcuffs.” ## What have Trump and other Republicans said? Several Republicans, including others in the Trump Administration, blasted Comey’s post; however, Trump himself has not yet responded to it. Donald Trump Jr. [posted](https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1923118680658862260) on X, “Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!” “This is a Clarion Call from Jim Comey to terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East,” James Blair, White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, [posted](https://x.com/JamesBlairUSA/status/1923127348578148514) on X. Trump visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar earlier this week, and is now in the United Arab Emirates on the final day of his first major trip in his second term. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard [said](https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/1923198011108192532) on Fox News that she doesn’t believe Comey could be unaware of the interpretation of “86 47” as violent. “James Comey in my view should be held accountable and put behind bars for this,” Gabbard said. “How many times are Democrats going to try to assassinate President Trump???” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, Ga.) [posted](https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1923144583917048217) on X. Trump, who faced two [assassination](https://time.com/6998557/thomas-matthew-crooks-trump-rally-shooter-fbi-motive/) [attempts](https://time.com/7021494/ryan-wesley-routh-trump-golf-course-shooter-politics-iran-ukraine/) in 2024, and other Republicans have—without evidence—[blamed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/01/trump-shootings-republicans-blame-rhetoric/) Democrats and their [rhetoric](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/donald-trump-blaming-democrats-assassination-attempt?srsltid=AfmBOopkdaauUl11XaNJZVNCr5BtXhF3ayswPsXyHXmE3xuteDC3CvKb) for previous attempts on his life, though Trump has in the past also been criticized for [making](https://www.axios.com/2022/05/02/trump-call-violence-presidency) public comments with [implications of violence](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-violent-rhetoric-timeline/680403/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7285796/james-comey-86-47-trump-threat-investigation-instagram-post-fbi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7285796/james-comey-86-47-trump-threat-investigation-instagram-post-fbi/"},"headline":"What Does ‘86 47’ Mean? 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