Comey Blames Wife for ‘86 47’ Post as Trump Demands Answers
James Comey broke his silence following widespread criticism over an Instagram post that many believed was a coded message calling for violence against President Donald Trump.
The former FBI director, who was dismissed by Trump in 2017, said his wife suggested taking the photo and provided its meaning, which he insisted was innocent.
The controversy centers on a beach photo posted by Comey that featured shells arranged to form the number “86.”
Social media users speculated that the post contained a hidden message implying violence.
The slang term “86” has multiple definitions, one of which includes “to kill,” though Comey said he was unaware of any such interpretation when he shared the photo.
Comey explained the context of the post during an interview with MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace.
He said his wife, who previously worked in restaurants, told him “86” was a common term in the food service industry used to indicate that an item was no longer available.
Comey said, “We stood over it and I said, I think it’s some kind of political message and she said, ‘86 when I was a server… meant to remove an item from the menu when you ran out of ingredients.’”
He also noted that the term held a different meaning for him growing up.
“To me, as a kid, it always meant to leave a place, to ditch a place. I said, that’s really clever,” Comey added.
He said his wife encouraged him to take a photo of the shell arrangement and post it on Instagram, which he did without further consideration.
Despite Comey’s explanation, the post quickly drew national attention.
Some officials and political commentators claimed the message was intentional and dangerous.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggested Comey should be arrested and called on the Secret Service to investigate.
The term “86” is defined as slang for “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to,” according to Merriam-Webster.
The dictionary also notes that a newer, less common interpretation includes the phrase “to kill,” although it has not been widely adopted enough to be officially entered under that definition.
High-profile figures within the Trump administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accused Comey of using the post to incite violence against the 47th president.
Comey rejected those claims. “I heard through her that people were saying it was some sort of a call for assassination, which is crazy,” he said.
“But I took it down. Even if I think it’s crazy, I don’t want to be associated with violence of any kind.”
Comey confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service interviewed him following the post’s publication.
He praised the agents, saying, “In the Trump era, I’ve been investigated a lot, audited a lot, and so it’s not my first rodeo.”
He added that the agents were “total pros” during their inquiry.
Comey also reflected on his long-standing and often contentious relationship with Trump.
“I’m in some strange way, the relationship he can’t get over,” Comey said.
“Maybe because I’ve lived a happy, productive life since leaving, but this has just been a distraction in that life.”
BREAKING: James Comey blames his wife for '86 47' post that many interpreted as a call to assassinate Trump.
He claims it was "totally innocent."
"We stood over it and I said, I think it's some kind of political message and she said, '86' when I was a server — she did a lot of… pic.twitter.com/RVJN0GRFhR
— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) May 20, 2025
Trump responded to the situation in an interview on Fox News, characterizing Comey’s actions as intentional and dangerous.
“He knew exactly what that meant,” Trump said.
“A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.”
When asked what legal or political consequences Comey should face, Trump deferred, stating the matter would fall under the jurisdiction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Comey removed the Instagram post shortly after it was published and issued a public explanation.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” he wrote.
“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,” Comey added in his statement.
The incident comes after two assassination attempts against Trump in 2024.
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