Former FBI Director James Comey has sparked fresh controversy in the United States. Comey recently posted on Instagram, in which he wrote the number “8647” with a sailboat on the beach. Republican leaders who saw the post alleged that it was actually a hint of inciting violence against former President Donald Trump.
The number “86” is used as American slang for “cancel” or “delete”. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is also sometimes used to mean “kill”. And “47” is President Trump’s numerical identity, as he is the 47th president of the United States.
Comey wrote in the caption of this post: “Walking on the beach, I saw a beautiful shell formation.” The post was controversial for some time and was quickly deleted. He later said, “I don’t understand how anyone could associate violence with these numbers. I am against all forms of violence, so I deleted the post.”
The US Secret Service has launched an investigation into the post. “We take any potential threat to our protected people seriously,” said spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. “We have seen the former FBI director’s post and are taking it seriously.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it a direct call to attack Trump. She wrote on X-A (formerly Twitter), “Shameful former FBI director calls for Trump to be assassinated.”
Current FBI Director Kash Patel said, “We are in contact with the Secret Service. While the Secret Service has the primary responsibility for investigating such threats, we will cooperate fully.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino called Comey’s post “a terrorist signal.” Donald Trump Jr. also said, “Comey actually called for my father to be assassinated.”
James Comey served as FBI director from 2013 to 2017. He was in charge of several controversial cases, including the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Trump later fired him during the investigation into Russian election interference.
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