Secret Service Interviews Comey Over “86 47” Post

The New York Times reports:

The Secret Service questioned James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, on Friday about a social media post he made that Mr. Trump’s cabinet officials and allies claimed amounted to a call for Mr. Trump’s assassination, according to a law enforcement official. The Secret Service sought the interview after Mr. Comey posted a photo on Thursday of seashells on a beach forming the numbers “86 47,” a phrase used by Mr. Trump’s critics at protests, and on signs and clothing.

Shortly after Mr. Comey made the post, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said the Secret Service, which falls under her department, was investigating it. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said on Fox News that Mr. Comey should be jailed. The interview is said to have taken place at a Secret Service office in Washington. Mr. Comey is said to have voluntarily consented to the interview, the official said, and was driven to the interview by Secret Service agents.

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Whether it’s 86 46, or 86 47, this is constitutionally protected speech. Sending the Secret Service to harass a political enemy over a photo of 86 47 written in seashells is some Nero-level decadence. https://t.co/at29SLxtEg

— Lindsay Beyerstein (@beyerstein) May 17, 2025