Former FBI Director James Comey told MSNBC Monday that he had no ill intent with his controversial “86 47” Instagram post and that he is not intimidated by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Comey posted a photo of shells on Thursday that were configured to say “86 47.” The number “86” generally means to get rid of something or someone and “47” refers to Trump being the 47th president. Some saw this as a threat, but Comey maintained he thought it was a clever political statement against Trump and didn’t have any violent intentions.
MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace asked Comey, “Between posting the picture and getting a call from the Secret Service, did you have any sort of gut check of like, ‘Well, they’ve audited me in an extraordinary way. I was under investigation for years after he fired me.’ …Did you have any regret about posting the picture?”
“I regret the distraction and the controversy around it,” Comey replied. “But again, it’s hard to have regret about something that, even in hindsight, looks to me to be totally innocent.”
FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY MEETS WITH SECRET SERVICE AFTER CONTROVERSIAL ’86 47′ POST
Former FBI Director James Comey appears on MSNBC on Monday. (Screenshot)
“I didn’t have a gut check. In the Trump era, I’ve been investigated a lot, audited a lot, and so it’s not my first rodeo. I’m, in some strange way, the relationship he can’t get over,” he said of the president.
“I really thought that I was done [with Trump]. I was in another life. I was a grandfather and an author, wearing sweaters and jeans. And then I went for a walk on the beach and posted a silly picture of shells that I thought was a clever way to express a political viewpoint. And actually I still think it is,” he added. “I don’t see it the way some people are still saying it is, but again, I don’t want any part of any violence. I’ve never been associated with violence, and so that’s why I took it down.”
Comey, who also has a thriller novel out this week, said that his wife noticed the shells as they were leaving the beach and she knew the “86” phrase as a restaurant server to mean taking something off the menu. He claimed as a kid he thought it meant to leave or ditch a place.
“I actually didn’t think of it as political speech by me, but I thought, ‘What a clever way to express a political view,’” Comey said as he marveled over the detail. “The shells were the same color for each of the letters… It took a lot of work. Somebody with artistic flair did that, and I have a hard time believing it was anybody with a dark intention, and it certainly was no dark intention on my part or my spouse’s part.”
FLASHBACK: COMEY HAD ANOTHER ANTI-TRUMP SEASHELL PHOTO MOMENT DURING 2024 ELECTION
After deleting the post on Instagram, Comey said in another post that he “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.” (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
When asked what would happen if Trump politicizes the government against him, Comey said, “The first thing I’ll do is stand up and defend myself, because I’m not afraid. I believe in the rule of law in this country. It’s under attack, but it exists.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, responded, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey, whom President Trump fired for gross incompetence and unfitness for the role, suffers from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Fields added that Comey’s “recent doubling down on incomprehensible and dangerous rhetoric directed at President Trump underscores his derangement and commitment to divisiveness and politics rather than loyalty to the country. The appropriate federal agencies are investigating his inexcusable actions and will take prompt action if warranted.”
FBI Director Kash Patel. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
The U.S. Secret Service has already interviewed Comey about the situation, and FBI Director Kash Patel said in an X post on Thursday, “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.”
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Comey and Trump have been fierce rivals since Trump fired him in 2017. Comey, a former Republican, endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for president in 2020 and 2024. Trump referred to Comey as a “dirty cop” this week in the aftermath of the seashell post.