CNN
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Former Director of the FBI James Comey on Thursday took down an Instagram post of seashells spelling out the numbers “86 47” after Republicans claimed that it was a threat against President Donald Trump.
The number 86 can often refer to getting rid of or tossing something out, while 47 corresponds to Trump’s current term in office as the 47th president.
“Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!” Donald Trump Jr. posted on social media.
Comey – who emerged as a Trump critic after the president fired him early in his first term – denied that the picture was a call for violence.
In explaining why he removed the post, Comey wrote on Instagram that he had “posted earlier 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,” he continued.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a social media post Thursday evening that DHS and the Secret Service are investigating an alleged threat made against Trump by Comey.
“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUSTrump,” she wrote. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
A spokesperson for the Secret Service told CNN that the agency was aware of the social media posts but would not comment further on protective intelligence matters.
“The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are aware of the social media posts in question.”
When reached for comment, Comey directed CNN to his Instagram post explaining the earlier picture’s removal.
In another post online, current Director of the FBI Kash Patel wrote that he was aware of Comey’s post and would provide support to the Secret Service.
“We are aware of the recent tweet by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” Patel wrote. “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director (Sean) Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
On Thursday evening, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Comey should be jailed over the post and said she did not believe Comey, as a former FBI director, was unaware of how “86 47” could be interpreted.
“I’m very concerned for his life,” Gabbard said on Fox News, referring to Trump and noting that there have already been attempts to assassinate the president. “And James Comey in my view should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.”
Gabbard does not have an obvious role in the investigations, nor does she have the authority to bring charges in domestic cases.
Comey helmed the FBI during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as the Hillary Clinton email controversy, before he was fired by Trump in May 2017 – shortly after Trump started his first administration. He served in the position for over three years.
The former FBI director has been heavily criticized by Republicans and Democrats for his investigations into Trump and Clinton and how he handled each in the public sphere. Neither investigation resulted in charges against the two politicians.
Trump has long criticized the former director, calling him a “grandstander” and a “showboat” shortly after firing him in 2017.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Evan Perez, Kaanita Iyer and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.
