Former FBI Director James Comey is once again at the center of political controversy after posting — and then deleting — a photo on Instagram that critics claim suggested a threat against President Donald Trump.
The image, posted earlier this week, showed seashells arranged on a beach to form the numbers “86 47.” While Comey later claimed the message was misunderstood, many in Trump’s orbit interpreted the post as a coded reference to removing — or even harming — the 47th president of the United States.
Trump himself accused Comey of implying an assassination. “A child knows what that meant,” Trump said in an interview clip released by Fox News on Friday. “That meant assassination.” Comey has not responded directly to the accusation but deleted the post and explained in a follow-up message that he had not intended to promote violence.
“I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he wrote. “It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Nonetheless, the former FBI chief is now under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the probe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggested Comey could face legal consequences. Comey was reportedly interviewed by the Secret Service in Washington on Friday evening.
While legal experts say it’s unlikely that a prosecution would succeed, the uproar has reignited debate over Comey’s public persona, particularly his frequent use of social media to weigh in on politics, justice, and national events.
Comey, a former Republican who has drawn criticism from both parties, began posting on social media under a pseudonym in 2017 before embracing a more public presence. Since then, he has used platforms like Twitter and Instagram to promote Democratic candidates, criticize Trump, and share a mix of nature photos, political commentary, and personal musings.
In recent years, he has backed Democratic nominees, including Kamala Harris in 2024, and celebrated Trump’s 2023 criminal conviction with a quote from the Bible.
Critics have often ridiculed his posts as self-important or out of touch. “This is a man who, if his Instagram is proper evidence, spends his days walking awestruck through an enchanted world,” wrote Jeffrey Blehar in the National Review.
Comey has also used his online presence to promote several books, including political thrillers and memoirs. Just a day before the controversial post, he shared a photo of himself reading his latest novel, due for release next week.
For now, the former top lawman finds himself in an unusual role: the subject of a federal investigation, triggered by a photo he claims was misunderstood. Whether the probe amounts to anything remains to be seen — but it adds another chapter to Comey’s increasingly complicated public life.
