Ex-FBI Chief James Comey being investigated over Trump social media post
FILE-Former FBI Director James Comey testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on his past relationship with President Donald Trump in 2017. (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Former FBI Director James Comey is under investigation for a social media post that some Trump administration officials and other Republicans are implying is a call for violence against President Donald Trump.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the Associated Press that federal law enforcement is investigating the post.
What did Comey post about Trump?
Dig deeper:
In an Instagram post, James Comey wrote "cool shell formation on my beach walk" under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for "86 47."
WH slams '86 47' social media post by ex-FBI chief Comey
The White House is condemning a social media post from former FBI Director James Comey, who has since deleted the post. It included the numbers etched in the sand at a beach using seashells.
The post has since been deleted. Comey subsequently wrote, "I posted earlier 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," Comey added, "but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
The Associated Press, citing the Merriam-Webster dictionary noted that 86 is slang meaning "to throw out," "to get rid of" or "to refuse service to." The dictionary adds: "Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use."
Who is James Comey?
The backstory:
James Comey served as the FBI director from 2013 to 2017 but was fired by Donald Trump during the president's first term in office amid the bureau’s investigation into allegations of ties between Russian officials and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Comey wrote about his career in the best-selling memoir "A Higher Loyalty." The Associated Press reported that Comey is now a crime fiction writer and is promoting his latest book, "FDR Drive," which is being released on Tuesday.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the New York Times and the Associated Press, which cites James Comey’s social media post. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.