Former FBI Director James Comey was subjected to intense physical and digital surveillance by the Secret Service after he posted an image that the Trump administration interpreted as an assassination threat against President Donald Trump.
James Comey Shares Photo On Social Media Interpreted As Threat
In May, Comey shared a photo on social media showing seashells arranged on a beach in the shape of the numbers “86” and “47.” The caption read, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”
The number 86 is slang for getting rid of something and has been used in contexts ranging from removing an ingredient from a menu to a euphemism for killing someone.
Trump publicly interpreted the post as a threat, stating on Fox News, “a child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.”
James Comey Faces Backlash
Several senior Trump officials, including Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, considered the post a direct threat and called for criminal charges.
Donald Trump Jr. took to X to accuse Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered” in response to the shell photo.
Following the backlash, Comey removed the post, explaining, “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.” Since leaving government service, Comey has focused on writing legal thrillers.
The @FBI just ARRESTED someone who copied James Comey and wrote. “8647”.
If a copycat was so DANGEROUS that he was arrested, why wasn’t Comey who started it.
This makes me lose MAJOR faith in @Kash_Patel and the FBI. pic.twitter.com/OhWzSWuUc8
— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) July 3, 2025
James Comey Surveiled
According to a new report by The New York Times, Comey was closely monitored by plainclothes law enforcement agents who followed him in unmarked vehicles. His cellphone location was also tracked.
Three government officials who leaked information to the publication confirmed that both Comey and his wife, Patrice, were shadowed by authorities from their vacation spot on the North Carolina coast all the way back to their home in Washington, DC Law enforcement officials, having tracked Comey’s phone signal, were reportedly waiting at his residence upon his return.
The Secret Service described the surveillance as resulting from “exigent” circumstances, to New York Times.
The level of surveillance applied to Comey was typically reserved for individuals considered an active threat to someone under agency protection, New York Times cited sources saying.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
