On May 15, 2025, former FBI Director James Comey posted a photo on Instagram depicting seashells arranged to form the number “8647,” accompanied by the caption: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” The post was swiftly deleted, but not before sparking significant controversy.
Critics, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, interpreted the number as a threat against President Donald Trump, the 47th President of the United States.
Scavino expressed his outrage on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
Comey truly is a POS. While he’ll claim not to know what 8647 means, there’s no doubt that the former disgraced FBI Dir. knows exactly what he’s doing, with a plea to bad actors/terrorists to assassinate the POTUS’ while traveling internationally. Don’t let him get away with it!! pic.twitter.com/gM4GmN6OUB
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) May 15, 2025
In American slang, ‘86’ is commonly used in restaurants to mean an item is out of stock or a customer is being cut off, but it can also mean ‘eliminate’ or ‘get rid of’ — a dual meaning that led critics to interpret Comey’s ‘8647’ post as a veiled call to harm the 47th president, Donald Trump.
The Secret Service confirmed awareness of the post and emphasized their commitment to investigating any potential threats against protectees. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on X:
Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.
DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 15, 2025
Comey responded by deleting the post and clarifying: “I posted 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.”
Despite Comey’s explanation, the incident has intensified political tensions, and federal agencies are conducting investigations to assess the nature and intent of his post.