MAGA demands arrest after Cryptic Post by James Comey Sparks Federal Scrutiny

[Social Media]

 

Cryptic Post by James Comey Sparks MAGA Outrage and Federal Scrutiny

 

Former FBI Director James Comey is under intense scrutiny after a controversial Instagram post ignited accusations from Donald Trump’s allies that he was subtly calling for the assassination of the former president. The uproar began Thursday afternoon when Comey shared an image of seashells arranged to read “86 47.” To many Trump supporters, that number combination carries a chilling implication: a coded call to kill the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump.

Video for those doubting this: pic.twitter.com/ZOfCE9qXKN

— Ben B@dejo (@BenTelAviv) May 15, 2025

 

The term “86” is sometimes used as slang for murder, thought to stem from the dimensions of a standard grave—eight feet long and six feet deep. When paired with “47,” a reference to Trump’s presidential number, critics claim the message amounts to an implicit threat. Comey removed the photo shortly after posting it, but not before it spread rapidly across right-wing social media circles, prompting a wave of outrage and calls for his arrest.

Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.

DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 15, 2025

 

South Dakota Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reacted furiously on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of President Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”

We 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.

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 15, 2025

 

Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in, posting: “Just James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!”

 

 

Kash Patel, a Trump ally and the newly appointed FBI chief, confirmed that authorities were taking the matter seriously. “We 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 issued a statement Thursday night claiming the post was a misunderstanding. “I posted a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. 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.”

 

Despite Comey’s explanation, the backlash continued to grow. Conservative commentator Meghan McCain wrote: “Don’t know how this can be interpreted as any other way but a threat against President Trump. James Comey should at the very least get a visit from the Secret Service. Also is everyone mentally ill?”

 

 

The controversy comes at a time of heightened security around Trump, who recently survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear. Authorities also uncovered and disrupted a separate Iranian-backed plot against him earlier this year.

 

Comey, who served as FBI Director from 2013 until his dismissal by Trump in 2017, has had a turbulent history with the former president. After being fired, he famously authorized the leak of memos documenting private meetings with Trump, contributing to the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russian election interference.

 

In an email to FBI staff following his termination, Comey had written, “I have long believed that a president can fire an FBI director for any reason, or for no reason at all. I'm not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. I hope you won't either. It is done, and I will be fine, although I will miss you and the mission deeply.”

 

As investigations proceed, the incident has further inflamed already deep political divisions, with Trump loyalists demanding accountability and Comey insisting the furor is based on a misinterpretation of an innocent image.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Daily Mail  2025-05-16

 

 

[HappyExpat57]

And they say Dems overreact?

[dinsdale]

Is it an overreaction? Interesting that these shells with this message just happened to be on the beach he was at. Knows it political, doesn't know what it means (sure), so posts it. Get's caught out so takes it down but yes it's an overreaction.

[cdemundo]

86 is slang for being expelled and banned from a bar, not for murder.

So to 86 Trump would mean to throw him out of office, not to kill him.

[Chomper Higgot]

Having vacated the truth and science based universe, MAGA move over to numerology.

 

Mush for brains, the lot of ‘em.

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

86 is slang for being expelled and banned from a bar, not for murder.

So to 86 Trump would mean to throw him out of office, not to kill him.

Depends which source you go to, it also means.

 

The bodies of so many murder victims were buried in the desert outside Las Vegas that, many of you have undoubtedly heard, it transformed the number “86” into a verb. The term is alleged by multiple internet sources to derive from a command known to have been issued by mob bosses to their soldiers.

https://www.casino.org/news/vegas-myths-busted-eighty-six-was-slang-for-a-vegas-mob-hit/

[jerrymahoney]

 

6 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

86 is slang for being expelled and banned from a bar, not for murder.

So to 86 Trump would mean to throw him out of office, not to kill him.

AKA Deep Six

[cdemundo]

Just now, Bkk Brian said:

Depends which source you go to, it also means.

 

The bodies of so many murder victims were buried in the desert outside Las Vegas that, many of you have undoubtedly heard, it transformed the number “86” into a verb. The term is alleged by multiple internet sources to derive from a command known to have been issued by mob bosses to their soldiers.

https://www.casino.org/news/vegas-myths-busted-eighty-six-was-slang-for-a-vegas-mob-hit/

Didn't need to go on the internet to learn everyday barroom slang.

Nothing esoteric about getting 86ed, it means thrown out and banned from a bar.

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

Didn't need to go on the internet to learn everyday barroom slang.

Nothing esoteric about getting 86ed, it means thrown out and banned from a bar.

Right so your source is the only one that counts and not the others. Makes you wonder why he took it down then. 

 

Nothing to do with an old mob term, no

 

“’80 miles out and 6 feet under’ was reserved for someone who had to dig their own grave 80 miles from civilization and then get shot, execution-style,” insists an urbandictionary.com entry. “All terms for 86’d originated from this…”

Other sources claim the distance was eight miles from the Las Vegas Strip before any shooting and digging could commence.

[dinsdale]

11 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Having vacated the truth and science based universe, MAGA move over to numerology.

 

Mush for brains, the lot of ‘em.

Vacating the science based universe? I reckon the Covid pandemic shows who vacated the science based universe. As for truth why didn't the Dems come clean about Sleepy Joe's dementia?

[SLOWHAND225]

9 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

Didn't need to go on the internet to learn everyday barroom slang.

Nothing esoteric about getting 86ed, it means thrown out and banned from a bar.

 

Context is important. It can mean both

[cdemundo]

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

Right so your source is the only one that counts and not the others. Makes you wonder why he took it down then. 

 

Nothing to do with an old mob term, no

 

“’80 miles out and 6 feet under’ was reserved for someone who had to dig their own grave 80 miles from civilization and then get shot, execution-style,” insists an urbandictionary.com entry. “All terms for 86’d originated from this…”

Other sources claim the distance was eight miles from the Las Vegas Strip before any shooting and digging could commence.

My point is that this is commonly used language and has been for a long time.

No need to go to the internet, no need to have a source any more than I need a source for the meaning of "raining cats and dogs".

If you do go to the internet you will find dozens of references to use of 86 in the restaurant and hospitality industry, none of them to do with murder.

 

As an analogous case the term "wise guy" used often by Moe Howard (need to look him up?) you will find "sources" that wise guy means a mafia guy or a mobster.  This is obviously an adoption of that meaning from the movies, when the meaning of wise guy is just a smart mouthed person.

[Bkk Brian]

14 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

My point is that this is commonly used language and has been for a long time.

No need to go to the internet, no need to have a source any more than I need a source for the meaning of "raining cats and dogs".

If you do go to the internet you will find dozens of references to use of 86 in the restaurant and hospitality industry, none of them to do with murder.

 

As an analogous case the term "wise guy" used often by Moe Howard (need to look him up?) you will find "sources" that wise guy means a mafia guy or a mobster.  This is obviously an adoption of that meaning from the movies, when the meaning of wise guy is just a smart mouthed person.

Your point makes no sense if you disregard all others. Also known as burying your head in the sand (pun intended) to urban uses of it and its original origin.

 

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=86'd

[cdemundo]

4 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Your point makes no sense if you disregard all others. Also known as burying your head in the sand to urban uses of it

 

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=86'd

You had to search for what you wanted to find in gangster-related websites "casino myths" or something was your first, as far as the "urban dictionary" it features lot of hip, cool slang that no one uses.

 

To use my previous example "wise guy", urban dictionary uses 

wise guy means a 'made man' in the mafia as its first definition

and wise guy means 1. A smart aleck. 
2.One who makes snide, sardonic and concieted comments and genereally acts like an arrogrant bastard.

as the second meaning which is the more common meaning outside of mafia movies.

to evaluate the professionalism of the Urban Dictionary note 3 misspellings in one line.

 

 

If you Google "what does 86 mean?" you get pages of "sources" showing it as related to the food and hospitality industry.

10 pages of results, I looked at the first two pages dozens of entries, no meanings related to murder.

 

So you made a directed search for the meaning you wanted and found a couple of references that showed murder as the meaning to Vegas gangsters.

Are you suggesting that the shells Comey photoed were placed there by a Vegas gangster?

Maybe "Tony the Shell Writer" as he is known in the underworld?

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

You had to search for what you wanted to find in gangster-related websites "casino myths" or something was your first, as far as the "urban dictionary" it features lot of hip, cool slang that no one uses.

 

To use my previous example "wise guy", urban dictionary uses 

wise guy means a 'made man' in the mafia as its first definition

and wise guy means 1. A smart aleck. 
2.One who makes snide, sardonic and concieted comments and genereally acts like an arrogrant bastard.

as the second meaning which is the more common meaning outside of mafia movies.

to evaluate the professionalism of the Urban Dictionary note 3 misspellings in one line.

 

 

If you Google "what does 86 mean?" you get pages of "sources" showing it as related to the food and hospitality industry.

10 pages of results, I looked at the first two pages dozens of entries, no meanings related to murder.

 

So you made a directed search for the meaning you wanted and found a couple of references that showed murder as the meaning to Vegas gangsters.

Are you suggesting that the shells Comey photoed were placed there by a Vegas gangster?

Maybe "Tony the Shell Writer" as he is known in the underworld?

 

 

The difference being the definition I'm giving is the original one but I accept other uses of it and you don't. You still have not answered, why did he take it down then? Read the OP

[JonnyF]

36 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Having vacated the truth and science based universe, MAGA move over to numerology.

 

Mush for brains, the lot of ‘em.

 

If a working class Brit had posted a similar message relating to Starmer or Lammy, or possibly migrants - you'd be calling for jail terms for incitement to violence. 

 

Your hypocrisy knows no bounds. 

[cdemundo]

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

The difference being I accept other uses of it and you don't

No, you searched to find a narrow meaning that you wanted to find and ignored the widely accepted meaning because you have an axe to grind.

 

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

No, you searched to find a narrow meaning that you wanted to find and ignored the widely accepted meaning because you have an axe to grind.

 

No I was referring to the meaning as defined by the OP and backed that up with facts. Your not doing very well here are you

 

From the OP

"The term “86” is sometimes used as slang for murder, thought to stem from the dimensions of a standard grave—eight feet long and six feet deep. When paired with “47,” a reference to Trump’s presidential number, critics claim the message amounts to an implicit threat. Comey removed the photo shortly after posting it, but not before it spread rapidly across right-wing social media circles, prompting a wave of outrage and calls for his arrest."

 

 

[cdemundo]

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

No I was referring to the meaning as defined by the OP and backed that up with facts. Your not doing very well here are you

 

 

Google "what does 86 mean?"

These are the most commonly used meanings, no mention of murder.

What you found on casino.com and urban dictionary are used in gangster movies admittedly.

But you had to seek them out because they are not the common usage.

Results from googling "what does 86 mean?" follow.

=========================

Eighty-six is slang meaning "to throw out," "to get rid of," or "to refuse service to." It comes from 1930s soda-counter slang meaning that an item was sold out.

 

verb INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN

verb: 86

1. eject or bar (someone) from a restaurant, bar, etc.

"they were accused of cheating, and eighty-sixed from their favorite casino"

2. reject, discard, or cancel.

"the passwords will be 86ed by next October"

 

What Does 86 Mean? Definition, History and More

Dec 6, 2567 BE — In the restaurant industry, “eighty six” or “86”, means to remove an item from the menu because it is no longer available. 

 

What Does 86 Mean and Where Does It Come From?

The term 86, or eighty-six, is an American English slang term used to indicate that you should halt or nix something.

 

What Does 86 Mean?

86 is a commonly used term in restaurants that indicates an item is out of stock or no longer available to be served to guests.

 

What is the origin of the term 'to 86' something?

The American slang verb "to 86" ("to eight-six") is to end, get rid of, or refuse something.

 

Ask George: Where Does The Term "86'd" Come From?

The term originated in the soup kitchens of the Great Depression, where the standard pot held 85 cups of soup, so the 86th person was out of luck.

========================

 

 

[Cameroni]

Obviously there is no chance in hell that these sea shells happened to be arranged in numerical order on a beach walk. So Comey is lying.

 

This is starting to look like a Jack Reacher novel. A former FBI director using sea shells to ask for the killing of the president. 

 

It clearly should be investigated, who was he asking to kill the president? Is there an operative out there loyal to Comey?

 

If T rump does get killed now, it would be Mario Puzo come to life.

[RuamRudy]

When you build a cult consisting on mono-thinking sheep who believe every nonsense utterance that is carefully crafted and spoonfed to them, of course you are going to get stories like this, where every innocent issue can be twisted and manipulated to show Trump as anything other than the serial criminal he actually is. 

[Bkk Brian]

9 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

Google "what does 86 mean?"

These are the most commonly used meanings, no mention of murder.

What you found on casino.com and urban dictionary are used in gangster movies admittedly.

But you had to seek them out because they are not the common usage.

Results from googling "what does 86 mean?" follow.

=========================

Eighty-six is slang meaning "to throw out," "to get rid of," or "to refuse service to." It comes from 1930s soda-counter slang meaning that an item was sold out.

 

verb INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN

verb: 86

1. eject or bar (someone) from a restaurant, bar, etc.

"they were accused of cheating, and eighty-sixed from their favorite casino"

2. reject, discard, or cancel.

"the passwords will be 86ed by next October"

 

What Does 86 Mean? Definition, History and More

Dec 6, 2567 BE — In the restaurant industry, “eighty six” or “86”, means to remove an item from the menu because it is no longer available. 

 

What Does 86 Mean and Where Does It Come From?

The term 86, or eighty-six, is an American English slang term used to indicate that you should halt or nix something.

 

What Does 86 Mean?

86 is a commonly used term in restaurants that indicates an item is out of stock or no longer available to be served to guests.

 

What is the origin of the term 'to 86' something?

The American slang verb "to 86" ("to eight-six") is to end, get rid of, or refuse something.

 

Ask George: Where Does The Term "86'd" Come From?

The term originated in the soup kitchens of the Great Depression, where the standard pot held 85 cups of soup, so the 86th person was out of luck.

========================

 

 

Yawn, I was referring to the op and providing links with facts. Its what the OP is about and why the FBI is scrutinizing it

[Cameroni]

One of the many oddball terms that has crept into the English language in the past century is a peculiarly inexplicable one: the verbal shortform of '86' to mean 'to dismiss or quash,' 'to bar entry or further service to,' and even 'to kill.' While its uses have come to be widespread (one can say that the bank 86'd your scheme to have it underwrite the start-up costs of your business venture, or that a friend who made a spectacle of himself in a bar was 86'd from the place, or that a Mob boss had a particularly troublesome competitor 86'd), the origin of this now omnibus term remains obscure.

 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/86/

[RuamRudy]

2 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

Obviously there is no chance in hell that these sea shells happened to be arranged in numerical order on a beach walk. So Comey is lying.

 

This is starting to look like a Jack Reacher novel. A former FBI director using sea shells to ask for the killing of the president. 

 

It clearly should be investigated, who was he asking to kill the president? Is there an operative out there loyal to Comey?

 

If T rump does get killed now, it would be Mario Puzo come to life.

 

Is it not more likely that another person arranged the seashells like this and Comey stumbled across them before posting the photo out of curiosity rather than malice? I can imagine that there are a vast number of people in the US who are outraged that their president is this criminal who's corruption is continuing unabated. In a country of so much anger and so much violence, there are going to be plenty of people who would call for violence to be directed towards him. 

[Cameroni]

1 minute ago, RuamRudy said:

Is it not more likely that another person arranged the seashells like this and Comey stumbled across them before posting the photo out of curiosity rather than malice?

 

I grew up living next to a beach. I've walked on beaches countless times, and never have I seen sea shells arranged in this way. Also the photo Comey posted looked very carefully taken, it did not look like a passing beach walk photo.

 

But I guess, indeed it could be possible that someone just happened to arrange sea shells in a "kill Donald Trump" formation, and James Comey happened to walk by there. Seems like a bit of a coincidence.

[bendejo]

I think things with be worse with President JD, an empty suit manipulated by his sponsor.

 

[Cameroni]

1 minute ago, bendejo said:

I think things with be worse with President JD, an empty suit manipulated by his sponsor.

 

 

JD Vance is considerably more right wing than Donald Trump I have a feeling. If he ever gets elected there'll be 86 seashells all over the place.

[cdemundo]

Sometimes engaging here one is inclined to forget that maybe uniquely in life (after about the age of middle school) one is in a group of people that is completely unselective as to admission.

 

As a consequence some in this group have as their qualifications to contributing: ownership of a computer/tablet/cell phone, access to the internet, ability to type.

Beyond this nothing else is required.

 

The point being that engaging with some here is pointless given their point of reference and cognitive abilities.

[RuamRudy]

1 minute ago, Cameroni said:

 

I grew up living next to a beach. I've walked on beaches countless times, and never have I seen sea shells arranged in this way. Also the photo Comey posted looked very carefully taken, it did not look like a passing beach walk photo.

 

But I guess, indeed it could be possible that someone just happened to arrange sea shells in a "kill Donald Trump" formation, and James Comey happened to walk by there. Seems like a bit of a coincidence.

 

I get what you are saying, but just how troubled a soul would Comey need to be for him to do this? It seems utterly bizarre if true.

If this was the plot of a Netflix movie I would turn it off because it would be much too far fetched. 

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, cdemundo said:

Sometimes engaging here one is inclined to forget that maybe uniquely in life (after about the age of middle school) one is in a group of people that is completely unselective as to admission.

 

As a consequence some in this group have as their qualifications to contributing: ownership of a computer/tablet/cell phone, access to the internet, ability to type.

Beyond this nothing else is required.

 

The point being that engaging with some here is pointless given their point of reference and cognitive abilities.

The U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security are investigating former FBI Director James Comey's Instagram post of shells arranged on a beach that read "8647," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday evening.

Why it matters: "86" is a slang term that can mean "to get rid of" and some use it to mean to kill — something President Trump's elder son, Donald Trump Jr., pointed to on X as he shared a screenshot of Comey's since-deleted post with the comment, "Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered."

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/15/ex-fbi-chief-comey-post-8647-trump