Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, announced on Thursday that federal law enforcement is looking into a social media post by former FBI director James Comey. She and other Republicans believe the post encourages violence against President Donald Trump.

In an Instagram post, Comey wrote "cool shell formation on my beach walk" beneath a photo of shells that seemed to form the numbers "86 47".

Several officials who worked for Trump, including Noem, have said Comey was suggesting Trump should be killed. They referred to Trump as the 47th president. Noem wrote that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are checking into this possible threat and will respond as needed.

Merriam-Webster, il dizionario usato dall'Associated Press, spiega che "86" è un termine gergale che significa "escludere", "eliminare" o "rifiutare un servizio". Il dizionario aggiunge che un significato più recente, derivato dai precedenti, è "uccidere", ma precisa di non considerare questa accezione a causa del suo uso limitato.

Il post è stato poi rimosso. In seguito, Comey ha spiegato: "Avevo pubblicato una foto di conchiglie trovate sulla spiaggia, senza pensare che potesse essere interpretata come un messaggio politico. Non sapevo che quei numeri potessero essere collegati ad atti violenti."

Il post di Comey ha fatto arrabbiare molto i conservatori sui social media, tanto che Donald Trump Jr. lo ha accusato di aver incitato all'odio verso suo padre.

The current FBI Director, Kash Patel, has stated he is aware of the post and has discussed it with the Secret Service and its director.

James Blair, vice capo dello staff della Casa Bianca per le questioni legali, politiche e pubbliche, ha fatto notare che il messaggio è arrivato in un momento difficile, visto che Trump è in viaggio in Medio Oriente.

"Blair wrote on X that Jim Comey's words were a shocking invitation to terrorists and hostile governments to harm the US President during his trip to the Middle East."

James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 to 2017, was fired by President Trump early in his term. This happened while the FBI was investigating possible connections between Russian officials and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Comey later wrote about his career in the successful book "A Higher Loyalty."

He currently writes detective novels and is promoting his latest book, "FDR Drive," which will be released on Tuesday.