Former FBI Director James Comey has been questioned by the U.S. Secret Service following a social media post that Republicans interpreted as a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
Comey voluntarily appeared at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington, where he was interviewed for about an hour. However, he was not detained, and no formal charges have been filed against him—at least for now.
The incident occurred just a day after Comey posted a photo on Instagram in which he arranged seashells to form the numbers “8647.” The number “86” in American slang can mean “to reject” or “to get rid of,” but has recently also been interpreted as meaning “to kill.” Meanwhile, Trump is the 47th President of the United States.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump stated that Comey “was calling for my assassination.” He added, “He knew exactly what those numbers meant. Even a child can understand. He was talking about a hit.”
Comey later deleted the post following backlash on social media and criticism from conservative figures.
In a clarifying Instagram post, he wrote: “I saw the shells during a walk on the beach and thought it was a political message. I didn’t know that some people associate those numbers with violence. It never crossed my mind, but I oppose violence in all forms, so I deleted the post.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on platform X (formerly Twitter) that Comey had been interviewed and called him a “disgraced former FBI director,” adding that “this is an ongoing investigation.”
Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called for Comey’s arrest, claiming that he had “ordered a hit” on Trump while the latter was on a visit to the Middle East.
The Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, is expected to decide whether to file formal charges against the former FBI director.
