Who Is James Comey? Former FBI Director Takes Down Controversial Instagram Post – Was It a Threat to President Trump?

James Comey, the former FBI director fired by Donald Trump in 2017, sparked outrage on 15 May 2025 with an Instagram post of seashells arranged as '8647,' interpreted by Trump allies as a call to assassinate the 47th president.

The post, swiftly deleted, prompted a Secret Service investigation and fierce debate over Comey's intent.

As conservatives demand his arrest several questions now arise: who is Comey, what drove this controversy, and was it truly a threat?

Comey's Storied Career and Trump Feud

James Comey, born 14 December 1960 in Yonkers, New York, served as FBI director from 2013 to 2017 under Presidents Obama and Trump.

A lawyer with a Columbia Law School degree, he rose through roles like US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, prosecuting high-profile cases, including Martha Stewart's insider trading. Appointed FBI director in 2013, Comey oversaw major investigations, including Hillary Clinton's email scandal and Russian interference in the 2016 election.

His 2016 decision to reopen the Clinton probe days before the election drew Democratic ire, while his firing by Trump in May 2017, amid the Russia investigation, fueled accusations of obstruction, per ABC News.

Comey's 2018 memoir, A Higher Loyalty, criticized Trump's leadership, escalating their feud. Trump later called his sacking 'a great service,' per Britannica.

Now a crime novelist, Comey's past as a registered Republican turned unaffiliated voter in 2016, per ABC News, frames his complex political stance, making his 15 May 2025 post a lightning rod for controversy.

The '8647' Post and Explosive Backlash

On 15 May 2025, Comey posted an Instagram photo captioned, 'Cool shell formation on my beach walk,' showing seashells forming '8647.' Trump allies, including Donald Trump Jr., interpreted '86'—slang for 'get rid of,' per Merriam-Webster—as a call to kill Trump, the 47th president, per USA Today.

'Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered,' Trump Jr. wrote on X, per The Times of India. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled it a 'disgraced' call for assassination, announcing a Secret Service probe, per The Economic Times.

Comey deleted the post, clarifying, 'I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,' per the same Times of India report.

He opposed violence, but conservatives, including Senator Marsha Blackburn, demanded answers, citing Trump's prior assassination attempts, per Newsweek. The Secret Service, while not assessing intent, confirmed it investigates such rhetoric, per USA Today.

Threat or Misunderstanding?

The '8647' controversy hinges on interpretation. '86' can mean 'to kill' in some contexts, though Merriam-Webster notes this usage is rare, per Kxan.

Anti-Trump groups use '8647' as a coded jab, per Times of India, but no evidence proves Comey intended violence.

His denial and deletion suggest a miscalculation, not a threat, though critics like Noem argue his FBI background implies awareness, per CBS News. With Trump traveling in the Middle East, officials like James Blair called the timing 'delicate,' per KARK.

As the Secret Service investigates James Comey's cryptic '8647' Instagram post, his contentious history with Donald Trump intensifies public speculation about its true intent.

Fired as FBI director in 2017 amid the Russia investigation, Comey later criticised Trump's leadership in his 2018 memoir, sparking a bitter feud that frames this controversy.