The Coded Seashells: James Comey’s Post and the Limits of Plausible Deniability, By Charles Taylor (Florida)
On May 16, 2025, former FBI Director James Comey posted an Instagram photo of seashells arranged in the shape of "86 47," captioned, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk." The post ignited a firestorm, with President Donald Trump and his allies interpreting it as a coded call for his assassination, "86" meaning "to get rid of" and "47" referring to Trump as the 47th president. Comey deleted the post, claiming ignorance of the violent connotation, but the incident raises questions about intent, plausible deniability, and the boundaries of public communication in a polarised era. This blog piece examines the plausibility of Comey's denial, explores how a hypothetical "1488" formation would alter the narrative, and considers alternative explanations for his excitement about "86 47."
The numbers "86 47" carry a specific, albeit context-dependent, meaning. In restaurant and bar slang, "86" signifies removing something, be it a menu item or an unwelcome customer. Paired with "47," it's not a stretch to interpret the formation as a reference to eliminating Trump, the 47th president. Trump, surviving two assassination attempts in 2024, called the post a deliberate threat, labelling Comey a "dirty cop." Comey's deletion of the post and subsequent explanation, that he saw the shells as a "political message" but didn't grasp their violent implication, strains credulity for critics. As a former FBI director with a history of public clashes with Trump, Comey is presumed to be acutely aware of how his actions are perceived. His claim of ignorance seems convenient, especially given the precision of the shell arrangement and his decision to highlight it with enthusiasm.
Plausible deniability hinges on whether Comey's explanation aligns with his knowledge and context. The seashell medium offers a veneer of innocence, natural formations can be random, and photographing them is mundane. Yet, the specificity of "86 47" and Comey's captioning it as "cool" suggest intentionality. If he truly meant no harm, his excitement could reflect a misjudgement of how the image would be received, perhaps seeing it as a clever jab rather than a violent threat. However, his quick deletion and apology undermine this, signalling awareness of the post's potential impact. In a less charged context, his denial might hold water, but given his public profile and Trump's history, it feels flimsy.
Suppose Comey had posted a photo of seashells forming "1488" instead. The number "1488" is a well-documented white supremacist code: "14" refers to the 14-word slogan ("We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children"), and "88" stands for "Heil Hitler" (H being the eighth letter). Unlike "86 47," which requires interpretive leaps, "1488" is an explicit symbol of hate and violence, recognised by law enforcement and civil rights groups. If Comey posted such an image, his claim of ignorance would be far less plausible.
First, Comey's background as FBI director means he likely encountered "1488" in the context of domestic terrorism investigations. The FBI has tracked white supremacist groups for decades, and such symbols are standard in their training. Claiming he didn't know its meaning would be akin to a chef unaware of basic ingredients, technically possible but highly suspect. Second, "1488" lacks the situational ambiguity of "86 47." While "86" can mean "to get rid of" in slang, it's not inherently tied to violence; "1488" is unambiguously tied to extremist ideologies. A denial would require Comey to argue he stumbled upon a random shell formation and photographed it without context, a story that collapses under scrutiny given the number's notoriety.
The public and political reaction to "1488" would also be more severe. Trump's allies, already incensed by "86 47," would likely accuse Comey of aligning with extremist ideologies, amplifying the narrative of a "deep state" conspiracy. The broader public, including those sceptical of Trump's claims, might find Comey's denial implausible, as "1488" is less obscure than "86 47" in the context of political violence. Even if Comey deleted the post and apologised, the damage would be irreparable, likely prompting calls for legal action beyond the DHS and Secret Service investigations triggered by "86 47." In short, "1488" would shred any plausible deniability, exposing Comey to accusations of reckless endangerment or worse.
Comey's caption, "Cool shell formation on my beach walk," suggests genuine enthusiasm, which complicates his claim of ignorance. If he didn't intend a violent message, what else could explain his excitement? Several possibilities emerge, each with varying degrees of implausibility:
1.Political Provocation: Comey, a vocal Trump critic since his 2017 firing, may have seen "86 47" as a subtle jab at Trump's presidency. The shells could have struck him as a serendipitous way to express dissent without overt hostility. His excitement might stem from the cleverness of the natural formation aligning with his political views. This aligns with his later claim that he saw it as a "political message," though it doesn't fully explain why he didn't anticipate the violent interpretation.
2.Aesthetic Appreciation: Comey might have been genuinely fascinated by the shells' arrangement as a visual or natural phenomenon, divorced from political meaning. His caption emphasises the "cool" formation, suggesting an artistic or whimsical reaction. However, this feels inconsistent with his decision to post publicly, knowing his audience includes Trump supporters and political observers. A purely aesthetic motive seems naive for someone of his experience.
3.Trolling or Testing Boundaries: Comey could have posted the image to provoke a reaction, testing how far he could push the envelope without crossing legal or ethical lines. His excitement might reflect amusement at stirring the pot, expecting backlash but believing the seashell medium would shield him. This aligns with his history of cryptic public statements, like his 2016 comments on Hillary Clinton's emails, which drew accusations of overstepping his role.
4.Miscalculation of Context: Comey may have underestimated the post's impact, seeing "86 47" as a niche reference that wouldn't resonate widely. His excitement could stem from a mistaken belief that the message was obscure enough to fly under the radar. This explanation accounts for his quick deletion and apology, suggesting he realised his error only after the backlash. However, it strains credulity given his law enforcement background and the charged political climate.
5.External Influence or Setup: A less likely but possible scenario is that Comey was influenced or set up, perhaps the shells were arranged by someone else, and he naively amplified the image. His excitement could reflect obliviousness to a trap. While speculative, this would explain his rapid backtracking, though no evidence supports this theory.
The most probable explanation combines elements of political provocation and miscalculation. Comey likely saw the shells as a cheeky, deniable way to needle Trump, underestimating how the image would be weaponised in a post-2024 assassination attempt world. His enthusiasm reflects a momentary lapse in judgment, not a call for violence, but his denial of intent feels incomplete given his sophisticated understanding of public perception.
James Comey's "86 47" seashell post is a Rorschach test of intent, revealing as much about the viewer's biases as the poster's motives. While his denial of violent intent is plausible on its face, seashells are an unconventional medium for threats, the specificity of the numbers and his public history with Trump make ignorance a tough sell. A hypothetical "1488" formation would demolish his deniability, given its explicit ties to extremism and his presumed familiarity as a former FBI director, but both numbers are on a political continuum and Comey should have been aware of this. His excitement about "86 47" likely stems from a mix of political mischief and misjudgement, reflecting a desire to provoke without anticipating the full consequences. In an era of heightened political violence, Comey's post underscores the razor-thin line between free expression and perceived threats, where even seashells can spark a national controversy.
In short, prosecute him and let the courts sort it out. Comey has been reported as being on the list for prosecutions anyway, so one more count won't matter!
https://nypost.com/2025/05/16/us-news/trump-james-comeys-86-47-post-called-for-his-assassination/
"President Trump slammed his former FBI director, James Comey, for posting a coded photo that he said called for his assassination.
"He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant … That meant 'assassination,'" Trump said in an interview with Bret Baier on Friday.
Comey had posted a picture Thursday of seashells formed in the shape of "86 47" — a message that could be interpreted as "eliminating" him, since he's the 47th president.
One Webster's Dictionary definition of "eighty-six" says the term means "to get rid of." In the restaurant and bar industry, the phrase is used to indicate to staff that a menu item has run out, or that a customer is banned.
"Cool shell formation on my beach walk," Comey had captioned the photo on Instagram.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promptly said the "threat" was being investigated by DHS and the Secret Service.
"He's calling for the assassination of the president," Trump said after the Comey photo drew major backlash from the president's allies.
"He's a dirty cop," Trump said of Comey — adding that Comey's fate will be decided by Attorney General Pam Bondi, but that he thinks there should be no leniency.
"This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously," Trump deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich wrote on X.
Don Jr., the president's son, wrote, "Just James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered. This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!"
Comey subsequently deleted the picture, saying he didn't understand what the message meant in its entirety.
"I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize folks associate those numbers with violence," Comey wrote on Instagram.
"It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
The president survived two back-to-back attempts on his life in 2024. He was first shot at during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks. The bullet narrowly missed the president's head but grazed his ear, leaving him bloody.
The president was then targeted in September on his golf course in Palm Beach after Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, waited over 12 hours in the bushes scoping out Trump's route with a gun in hand. Routh fled after Secret Service agents fired at him, but was later arrested and is awaiting trial in Florida
Comments