James Comey under investigation for post seen as potential threat to Trump's life

Several Trump allies accused the former FBI director of calling for the president's assassination in his '8647' post. Comey denied it was meant as a threat.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service are investigating a social media post by former FBI Director James Comey that several U.S. officials interpreted as calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday.

In a now-deleted post on Instagram, Comey shared a photo of what he described as a "shell formation" on a beach that formed the numbers "8647." The post was swiftly condemned by administration officials, Republican lawmakers and Trump allies who said it blatantly targeted Trump, the 47th president of the United States.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "eighty-six" can informally mean "to get rid of."

"Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump," Noem wrote on X. "DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately."

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