Former FBI Director Comey Deletes Instagram Amid Threat Investigation Over Trump Post

Former FBI Director James Comey sparked a national controversy after posting a photo on Instagram featuring seashells arranged to form the numbers "8647," which many interpreted as a veiled threat to assassinate President Donald Trump, the 47th president. The number "86" is slang for "to get rid of" or "eliminate," combined with "47" referring to Trump's presidential term, prompting widespread outrage from Trump allies, including Donald Trump Jr. and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with investigations launched by the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and the FBI. Comey initially defended the post as an innocent beach photo but deleted the Instagram account amid the backlash and denied any intent to incite violence. The incident also impacted financial markets, briefly boosting cryptocurrency prices like Bitcoin due to increased political uncertainty. Critics accuse Comey of using the post to generate attention for his new book, while current FBI leadership and White House officials condemned the message as deeply concerning and dangerous.