The former director posted a image on Instagram of seashells in sand that were arranged to form the numbers “86 47.”
Former FBI Director James Comey refuted claims that he was calling for the assassination of President Donald Trump in a now-viral social media post last week that included an image of seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.”
Comey had posted the photo taken from the beach on his Instagram account.
The number “86,” which originates from the restaurant business, generally means to eject someone or reject, discard, or cancel something or a person, according to Merriam-Webster. But it can also mean to murder, execute, or kill someone, according to the Collins Dictionary and others. Meanwhile, “47” could refer to Trump, as he is the 47th president.
When he was asked during an MSNBC segment on Monday about whether he regretted posting the image, Comey said that what he did was “totally innocent.”
“I regret the distraction and the controversy around it,” Comey told the outlet. “But again, it’s hard to have regret about something that, even in hindsight, looks to me to be totally innocent.”
Comey added: “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.
“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.”
Also in the MSNBC interview, Comey, who has a book being released this week, said that it was his wife who noticed the arrangement of the shells on the beach.
“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. “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.”
