Comey’s ‘8647’ Post Opened Floodgates For ‘Copycat’ Threats Against Public Figures, FBI Says

A social media post from former FBI Director James Comey aimed at President Donald Trump has sparked threats to other public figures, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.

Law enforcement brought Comey in for questioning on Friday after he posted a picture on Instagram of seashells spelling out “8647,” which is understood in internet slang as a call to kill Trump. Bongino said in a Monday X post that “copycats” were using his symbolism to send threats that the FBI is forced to investigate, consuming valuable time and resources.

“We are now dealing with copycats, sending cryptic threats to public figures, using the ’86’ reference,” Bongino said. “Whether they turn out to be legitimate threats or not, taxpayer-funded public safety agents are going to have to run these all out and investigate them.” The deputy director said the trend shows “the damage self-serving individuals, with a history of extremely poor judgement, can do when they fail to control their impulses.”

Comey could not be reached directly, and his publishing team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation.