Conservatives were outraged after it was discovered that former FBI Director James Comey posted a message to his Instagram, which many perceived as a threat against the president. Comey posted a photo of shells arranged on a beach, which spelled out “8646,” which many users interpreted as a threat to kill or “86” the 46th President, Donald Trump.
For context, Comey initially began feuding with Trump after he investigated Hillary Clinton’s emails, but the conflict worsened as Comey led the FBI’s witchhunt investigation into the Russia-Gate hoax. Fed up with the FBI director’s inaction and obvious partisan bias, Trump fired him in 2017.
In any case, prominent conservative voice Libs of TikTok broke the story on May 15, 2025, in a post to social media, she stated, “He was the head of the FBI and wants us to believe he had no idea that 86 is a reference to kiIIing someone 😂😂😂 Does anyone buy this?”
Included in her post was a screenshot of Comey backpedaling from his statement. He stated, “I 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.”
In the comments under her post, users expressed their righteous anger in a series of hilarious responses. One such comment said, “He’s just mad he lost his security clearance along with the others!😂😂😂 no one is above the law. Just add conspiracy to the list of charges that need thrown on this guy for Cross fire Hurricane misdeeds! That is if @FBIDirectorKash ever gets around to arresting those who abused FISA warrants to spy on a political opponents & American citizens.😏” Agreeing, another user added, “Exactly! Why not take a picture of the ocean water or a sunset/sunrise? It was intentional.”
Rounding out the comments, another user joked about Comey’s feeble deflection. The reply said, “We already know he’s a liar. This proves it. ‘Golly jeepers ! I wonder what these numbers mean ? Maybe I should take a picture and post it on my Instagram. It’s not like I was the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or anything. Gosh, I mean how the hell would I know what this is. ‘”
The threatening post was noticed by members of Trump’s cabinet, such as current FBI Director Kash Patel. In an official tweet, he declared, “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
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See Comey’s offensive post here:
Likewise, Department of Homeland Security Head Kristi Noem issued a statement. Noem proclaimed, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of@POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”
Screenshot taken from Libs of TikTok on X