What is 8647? Did former FBI director James Comey threaten to kill Donald Trump?

A governmental firestorm has engulfed Washington aft erstwhile FBI DirectorJames Comey shared an Instagram station featuring a seemingly innocuous representation of seashells — arranged to spell retired the numbers “8647.” What appeared astatine archetypal glimpse to beryllium a whimsical beachside memento has alternatively sparked furious allegations of an assassination menace against President Donald Trump, prompted investigations by national authorities, and reopened the festering coiled of Trump vs.

Comey — a bitter feud that has defined the darker undercurrents of American authorities for astir a decade.

The ‘8647’ Enigma

At the centre of the uproar is the mentation of the numbers “86 47.” In American slang, “86” tin mean to cancel, get escaped of, oregon adjacent “eliminate” someone. Meanwhile, “47” refers to Donald Trump’s existent presumption arsenic the 47th President of the United States. Combined, blimpish critics allege, the numbers magnitude to a coded telephone for Trump’s assassination — an accusation that has escalated into a full-blown nationalist information issue.The station was rapidly deleted aft backlash erupted online. Donald Trump Jr. led the charge, posting: “Just James Comey casually calling for my dada to beryllium murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!” Right-wing commentators and lawmakers echoed the sentiment, framing the station arsenic a veiled menace from a antheral who erstwhile headed the nation's apical instrumentality enforcement agency.Comey, for his part, denied immoderate sinister intent.

In a follow-up Instagram statement, helium said: “I posted earlier a representation of immoderate shells I saw contiguous connected a formation walk, which I assumed were a governmental message. I didn’t realise immoderate folks subordinate those numbers with violence. It ne'er occurred to maine but I reason unit ...