Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, stated on Thursday that federal law enforcement is looking into a social media post by ex-FBI Director James Comey. She and other Republicans believe the post could be interpreted as encouraging violence against President Donald Trump.

In an Instagram post, Comey shared a photo of seashells arranged in a way that looked like the numbers "86 47," captioning it "interesting shell formation on my beach walk."

Several former officials from the Trump administration, such as Noem, claimed Comey was encouraging the assassination of the former president. Noem stated that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service were looking into the threat and would take suitable action.

According to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, the slang term "86" means "to throw out," "to get rid of," or "to refuse service." The dictionary also states that a newer meaning, "to kill," is a logical development of the earlier meanings, but this sense is not included due to its limited and recent use.

The post has now been removed. Afterwards, Comey wrote: "Earlier, I shared a photo of shells I found while walking on the beach, thinking they might have a political meaning. I didn't know that some people connect those numbers with violent acts."

Comey's initial online comment caused strong anger among conservatives, especially after Donald Trump Jr. accused him of suggesting his father should be killed.

FBI Director Kash Patel stated he knew about the message and was discussing it with the Secret Service and its head.

James Blair, a senior White House advisor, pointed out that this role is especially important now, as Trump is currently travelling in the Middle East.

Blair posted on X, stating that Jim Comey's actions could be seen as an incitement to terrorists and unfriendly governments to assassinate the US President during his trip to the Middle East.

Comey, the FBI director between 2013 and 2017, was dismissed by Trump early in his presidency. This happened while the FBI was investigating possible links between Russian officials and Trump's 2016 campaign. Comey later wrote about his experiences in the popular memoir, "A Higher Loyalty."

He now writes crime novels and is currently promoting his new book, "FDR Drive", which comes out on Tuesday.