Social media posts have dragged former FBI director James Comey into the allegations of critics calling for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Comey, a fierce Trump critic, denied in a statement that the photos he took and shared on Instagram were violent, adding: "I object to any form of violence." He has since deleted the photos.

However, his rebuttal did not calm Trump supporters, with the country's Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service announced Thursday that they were investigating the incident.

Here is a breakdown of what happened:

What is Comey Post?

Comey shared an Instagram photo on Thursday showing shells on the beach on the "86 47" figure.

His title reads: “On my beach trail, cool shells form.”

Critics are quick to point out that the number of “86” refers to the old phrase “get rid of” something or “delete something.” In the 1930s, the phrase was highly used in restaurants and usually sent signals to waiters and customers that the items on the menu were sold out and could not be provided.

They claim that "47" refers to Trump's current term as the 47th president of the United States.

Comey took the photo the same day. The former intelligence boss explained in another Instagram post that he took photos while "on the beach, I think it's political information."

"I didn't realize that some people associate these numbers with violence. I've never happened, but I'm against any kind of violence, so I fell off the outpost."

The #8647 tag has been previously, and appeared on social media sites such as Tiktok as early as March, criticizing Trump and calling on him to remove him. It already represents silent code against the president.

What do Trump's allies say?

Trump's supporters on social media channels have condemned Comey's post, saying it was a president's call for "assassination."

It's just James Comey's causal relationship calling for my father to be murdered.

This is the one Dem-Media worships. dementia! ! ! pic.twitter.com/4luk6crhat

- Donald Trump Jr. (@donaldjtrumpjr) May 15, 2025

President Trump's son Donald Trump Jr said in an X post Thursday that Comey "caused casually to call my father to be murdered", adding that the position was "dementia".

Grok, a conversational AI aide on a social media site owned by Elon Musk, responded to comments from X users asking for clarification on the meaning of the numbers, saying "basically a way to say "get rid of Trump's sneak." But the aide also added that the numbers do not mean "inherent assassination of Trump," but rather suggest that they suggest "political evacuation."

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said on Fox News that she would not accept Comey's violent explanation of "86 47". Comey “should be responsible for it and be responsible for it,” Gabbard said.

Republican Congressman Andy Ogles said he wrote to U.S. intelligence agencies calling for an investigation into Comey's "disturbing" position to see if the former intelligence boss violated two federal laws - threatening the president and sharing threat communications.

Ogles also asked to confirm whether Comey could still use confidential materials, as he previously served as a FBI director.

Ogles wrote on X: “If Comey breaks the law, he shouldn’t pass.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in the X-Post that the U.S. intelligence has investigated the matter.

"The lost former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @potus trump. The Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating the threat and will respond appropriately," she said.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on X that his agency will help in the investigation and “providing all necessary support.”

James Blair, deputy chief of staff of the White House, said Comey's position was "a call for "the terrorists and hostile regimes to kill the U.S. president when he traveled in the Middle East."

“Any Democrats or media that fail to condemn such explicit incitement of violence is a co-conspirator and must do so.”

What was Comey’s past relationship with Trump?

Comey was appointed by former President Barack Obama. Before the 2016 election, Comey investigated Hillary Clinton's use of private email servers while serving as Secretary of State. Many Democrats believe that the investigation killed her on the eve of the vote, and Clinton was the party’s nominee for Trump.

But Comey also led the FBI's investigation into what it said was Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and was fired in 2017 by Trump at the beginning of his term.

Comey testified to Congress that Russia did intervene in the 2016 general election. The official reason why the government fired him was that Comey was "ineffective", referring to the dissatisfaction of Clinton's investigation and was ultimately not accused of politicians.

According to analysts, the main crux of Trump and Comey is Comey's focus on the Russian issue, who refuses to publicly announce that Trump and his Trump organization have not investigated it personally.

After the firing, Comey began criticizing Trump, calling him “morally inappropriate” and threatening democratic norms in his 2018 memoir, a higher loyalty.