James Comey is making a living as an author of thriller novels these days, which frankly seems like a pretty good gig for a retired FBI Director. His latest book is about to be released so he’s been posting photos to promote it on his social media accounts, including this one showing him reading the book on the beach.
But for some reason today, Comey decided to enter the political realm again in a very inadvisable way. He posted a photo of some shells in the sand which had been arranged with four digits “86 47.” The caption read “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Here’s my screenshot of it.
Obviously 47 is a reference to President Trump. And if you look up “86” in the dictionary it’s very old slang which traces back to the 1930s.
Eighty-six is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.” It comes from 1930s soda-counter slang meaning that an item was sold out. There is varying anecdotal evidence about why the term eighty-six was used, but the most common theory is that it is rhyming slang for nix.
Merriam Webster offers some early examples of this usage at soda counters:
A Hollywood soda-jerker forwards this glossary of soda-fountain lingo out there … “Shoot one” and “draw one” is one coke and one coffee … “Shoot one in the red!” means a cherry coke … An “echo” is a repeat order. “Eighty-six” means all out of it.
— Walter Winchell, Courier-Post (Camden, NJ), 23 May 1933
But the meaning slowly changed from being out of something to getting rid of something. By the 1950s, to eighty-six someone meant to get rid of them.
I have all I can handle eighty-sixing the drunks.
— Independent (Long Beach, CA), 12 Sept 1960
And more recently, eighty-sixed has even been used as synonymous with killing someone, i.e. getting rid of them permanently.
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.
“I hate to see the guys always getting eighty-sixed,” she said, using military jargon for killed in action. “Not fair.”
— John Kifner, The New York Times, 3 Feb. 1991
So the message can be translated “Get rid of Trump” or it can be translated “Kill Trump.” Neither one seems like a terribly bright thing for a retired FBI Director to say, especially about a man who has already faced two assassination attempts.
Donald Trump Jr. called it “Demented!!!”
Just James Comey causally calling for my dad to be murdered.
This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!! pic.twitter.com/4LUK6crHAT
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 15, 2025
Former FBI Director James Comey appears to be calling for the assassination of President Trump.
Totally normal stuff pic.twitter.com/XqkyNjvEv4
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 15, 2025
Kash Patel, who currently holds Comey’s old job, said he’s been in contact with the Secret Service.
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.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 15, 2025
It’s happening.
Shortly after Comey removed the post, Fox News Digital learned from a source in the Secret Service that they were aware of the matter and will be sending agents to investigate and interview former director Comey.
Others didn’t go that far but still saw it was dumb and weird.
James Comey is posting cryptic messages online alluding to getting rid of President Trump.
Would he like to explain what he means by this given the assassination attempts on President Trump?
Take a look, @FBIDirectorKash @FBI. pic.twitter.com/NxnDM3xyti
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) May 15, 2025
James Comey held himself up as a bastion of fairness and moral rectitude. Now, he makes cringe posts like a childless 50-year-old liberal woman on Facebook.
The entire country should be grateful Trump put this weirdo out to pasture. pic.twitter.com/4CHnBlhtxU
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 15, 2025
After a few hours, Comey must have heard from someone because he deleted the post. The he put up this explanation saying he hadn’t realized “86” might be interpreted as a call to violence.
Putting aside the meaning of “86” for a moment, he’s really claiming he just came upon these shells on the beach today? Honestly, I just assumed he sat their making this himself for the photo. I find it hard to believe he didn’t make this. Hopefully the Secret Service will ask him.
I try not to assume the worst but even if Comey didn’t explicitly mean assassination, what did he think “get rid of Trump” meant in this instance? How do you get rid of the elected President four months into his four year term?
Nothing will happen to Comey. He’s just another Democrat who let the mask of respectability slip for a moment to reveal his true self, a partisan who can’t even enjoy a day on the beach without thoughts of getting rid of the president intruding.
