OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:36 PM – Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Former FBI Director James Comey told MSNBC on Monday that his controversial “86 47” Instagram post was not intended to convey any malice, nor was it meant as a threat. The former FBI “tough guy” also emphasized that he is not intimidated by the Trump administration.
Comey’s new book was released in the U.S. on May 20, 2025, prompting critics on both the left and right to accuse him of deliberately stirring controversy in order to generate publicity and boost sales.
Nonetheless, the social media post in question, shared last Thursday, featured a photo of arranged shells spelling out “86 47”—a phrase that most interpreted as a call to “remove” or “take out” the 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump, with “86” commonly understood as slang for eliminating something or someone.
While conservative critics have maintained that the image is a cryptic threat, especially given the fact that Comey has a history of holding deep resentment for the GOP president since Trump fired him in 2017, Comey still insisted that his intent was to make an “artistic” yet nonviolent statement.
MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace: “Between posting the picture and getting a call from the Secret Service, did you have any sort of gut check of like, ‘Well, they’ve audited me in an extraordinary way. I was under investigation for years after he fired me.’ …Did you have any regret about posting the picture?”
Comey: “I regret the ‘distraction’ and the controversy around it… But again, it’s hard to have regret about something that, even in hindsight, looks to me to be totally innocent.”
“I didn’t have a gut check. In the Trump era, I’ve been investigated a lot, audited a lot, and so it’s not my first rodeo. I’m, in some strange way, the relationship he can’t get over.”
“I really thought that I was done [with Trump]. I was in another life. I was a grandfather and an author, wearing sweaters and jeans. And then I went for a walk on the beach and posted a silly picture of shells that I thought was a clever way to express a political viewpoint. And actually I still think it is,” he added. “I don’t see it the way some people are still saying it is, but again, I don’t want any part of any violence. I’ve never been associated with violence, and so that’s why I took it down.”
The former FBI director further claimed that his wife had first noticed the shells, as they were departing the beach.
According to his story, she recognized the term “86” from her experience as a restaurant server, where it signifies the removal of an item from the menu. Comey also noted that, as a child, he had understood the phrase to mean leaving or abandoning a place — seemingly continuing to make excuses for his cryptic post.
Comey: “I actually didn’t think of it as political speech by me, but I thought, ‘What a clever way to express a political view,’” Comey continued. “The shells were the same color for each of the letters… It took a lot of work. Somebody with artistic flair did that, and I have a hard time believing it was anybody with a dark intention, and it certainly was no dark intention on my part or my spouse’s part.”
After being asked how he would respond if Trump were to hypothetically weaponize the government against him, Comey responded: “The first thing I’ll do is stand up and defend myself, because I’m not afraid. I believe in the rule of law in this country. It’s under attack, but it still stands.”
In response, Harrison Fields, a special assistant to the 47th president and the principal deputy press secretary, issued a statement to Fox News, saying: “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey, whom President Trump fired for gross incompetence and unfitness for the role, suffers from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Comey’s “recent doubling down on incomprehensible and dangerous rhetoric directed at President Trump underscores his derangement and commitment to divisiveness and politics rather than loyalty to the country. The appropriate federal agencies are investigating his inexcusable actions and will take prompt action if warranted,” he continued.
The United States Secret Service (USSS) has since interrogated Comey about the matter, and FBI Director Kash Patel stated in an X post on Thursday that: “We [the FBI] 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.”
Comey, who says that he was once Republican, publicly endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in both the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. In response to recent events surrounding the controversial “seashell” post — President Trump disparaged Comey, referring to him as a “dirty cop.”
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