US authorities have begun investigating former FBI Director James Comey on charges of inciting the assassination of President Donald Trump via a post on his Instagram account.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Lynch said Thursday that law enforcement agencies are investigating an alleged threat to assassinate President Donald Trump by James Comey.
This came after Comey posted on Instagram, which was later deleted, an image of the numbers “86” and “47” written in seashells. “86” is a slang term for getting rid of something, while Trump is the 47th president of the United States.
“Former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump,” Noem said on Twitter.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating this threat and will address it appropriately,” she added.
For his part, Comey later said on Instagram that he “posted a picture of some shells I saw today while walking on the beach, which I assumed was a political message.”
He continued, “I didn’t realize that some people were linking these numbers to violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence in all its forms, so I deleted the post.”
In a post on the X platform, Donald Trump Jr. (President Trump’s eldest son) accused Comey of calling for his father’s death.
In this context, NBC quoted a Secret Service spokesperson as saying that authorities take such posts seriously, revealing that the former FBI director is under investigation for his post.
During his first term, Trump dismissed Comey from his position after disagreements over several issues, including the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In 2018, Comey published his book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” in which he likened Trump’s leadership to that of a mob leader, accusing him of lacking moral authority.
