Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the US Secret Service on Friday following an Instagram post that supporters of President Donald Trump interpreted as a veiled threat on the president's life. The post, which has since been deleted, depicted seashells arranged to form the shapes "86 47." Comey captioned the post with: "Cool shell formation on my beach walk." Trump supporters viewed this as a call to harm the 47th president.

The term "86" is slang that, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, means "to throw out," "to get rid of," or "to refuse service to." The dictionary publisher noted that one of the recent adoptions of the term also means "to kill," although it added that this sense is not entered due to its relative recency and sparseness of use. Comey stated that he was unaware of any violent connotation and said, "I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."

Despite Comey's explanation, Trump and top administration officials rejected his defense. Trump, in an interview with Fox News on Friday, labeled Comey a "dirty cop" and said that the former FBI director was calling for the "assassination of the president." Trump added that any legal action would be decided by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Comey's interview on X, stating she would "take all measures necessary to ensure the protection" of the president. Current FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency would "provide all necessary support." Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said, "We fully support the Secret Service investigation into Comey's threat on President Trump's life."

The president and the former FBI director have a contentious history. Trump fired Comey in 2017 during his first term, as Comey was investigating the Trump 2016 presidential campaign's possible collusion with Russia. Comey has also been a vocal critic of the president, calling Trump "morally unfit" to lead in a 2018 interview.