Ex-FBI Director James Comey had another anti-Trump seashell moment prior to his Thursday Instagram post that showed seashells arranged to show the numbers “86 47,” a message that White House officials swiftly condemned as an attempt to incite a “hit” against the 47th president.
Comey posted a photo of a single larger seashell that was painted blue with the words “Vote Harris” on it in October 2024. “Saw this at the beach,” the ex-FBI chief captioned the post. “Ariel understands the assignment,” he added, apparently a reference to the main character of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
Comey’s propensity to post images of political messages on the beach has gotten him into some hot water after the Secret Service said it was sending agents to investigate and interview Comey.
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Shortly after posting the image, Comey took it down and subsequently put up a separate post acknowledging the matter.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said in his subsequent post. “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.”
The FBI, where Comey used to work before he was fired by Trump during his first term, had no comment on the matter, but it was also apparent that people at the top levels of the agency were aware of the post. Trump’s new FBI director, Kash Patel, acknowledged on X that agency personnel were “aware” of Comey’s post, in his own statement shared on X.
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“We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran,” Patel said. “Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
Comey’s Thursday Instagram post was roundly criticized, including by the president, for working to stoke political violence.
“There is no doubt that James Comey hated Donald Trump,” Ted Cruz said. “There is also no doubt that the extreme rhetoric from the left contributes to an atmosphere of violence.”
“If a right-winger posted this against a leftist, all hell would break loose. But because it’s James Comey—the man who weaponized the FBI against President Trump—the left is silent,” Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles said. “That’s unacceptable. The Left invented the term ‘stochastic terrorism’ to go after conservatives anytime they voiced a strong opinion.”
The ex-FBI chief appears to have a propensity to post his political leanings on social media. An Instagram post, as recently as March 31, included an animated image stating, “TRANS PEOPLE BELONG,” while in February Comey posted “a message from my former colleagues” that could be considered to be aimed at Republicans and President Trump.
“Know that these people – some evil, most just followers too weak to stand up – will fade, but the need for your work will remain,” the post said in part. “Don’t let the darkness of bad people steal the joy of public service,” it added.
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