Tulsi Gabbard Calls for Imprisoning James Comey Over ’86’ Instagram Post About Trump

Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has opened an investigation Thursday into an Instagram post by former FBI Director James Comey that she called a “threat” against President Donald Trump. Other top Trump officials are expressing their outrage over the post, with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard even calling for Comey to be thrown in prison.

Comey posted a photo to Instagram on Thursday that read “86 47,” spelled out with seashells in the sand. The post included the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., insisted on X that “86 47” referred to killing President Trump, the 47th president, stoking online outrage on the far-right social media platform. But Comey denies that he ever intended to send a message of violence.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey wrote. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

But Comey’s follow-up didn’t quell anger from supporters of the president.

Gabbard appeared on Fox News on Thursday night with Jesse Watters, who asked if she believed Comey should be thrown in jail. “I do,” Gabbard said. “I’m very concerned for the president’s life. We’ve already seen assassination attempts. I’m very concerned for his life, and James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.”

The most common definition of “86” as a type of slang refers to ejecting someone from a bar or restaurant, and “86” will often be used in a restaurant setting when a particular item has run out. But there is a definition of “86” that was somewhat more common in the 1980s and ’90s referring to killing or death.

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of DHS, initially wrote Thursday that she was “monitoring” a threat from Comey before editing her tweet to say that her agency and the Secret Service were “investigating” it.

“Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” Noem wrote.

Other people in powerful positions within the federal government also puffed out their chests on X late Thursday. FBI Director Kash Patel, a conspiracy theorist and longtime Trump ally, wrote on X that the Secret Service was investigating Comey’s post.

“We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump,” Patel wrote. “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”

It’s not clear if Comey actually created the shell formation in his photo or if he really did stumble upon it. The numbers “86 47” have become a common sight at anti-Trump protests, as people hold signs that say any number of things about getting rid of Trump.

Comey was appointed FBI Director in 2013 under President Barack Obama and was fired by President Trump during his first term in May 2017. Trump was unhappy that he was being investigated over his ties to Russia, ties that were in fact true, even if the president now calls them all a hoax.

Gabbard insisted on Fox News that Comey was creating a culture that was encouraging the assassination of Trump, citing a study from the Network of Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab.

“There was a Rutgers study that just came out a little over a month ago, Jesse, that asked respondents their view on these calls to assassinate President Trump, and over 55% of respondents felt that murdering President Trump would be quote-unquote ‘somewhat justified,’” Gabbard said. “This is the effect of people like James Comey doing this kind of stuff.”

Gabbard said 55% of “respondents” but that’s not accurate according to the study, which is available to read online. In reality, 38% of respondents answered that it would be “somewhat justified” to murder Trump. The 55% number is the percentage of people in the survey who identify as “left of center.”

Whatever you think of James Comey, it is a bit surreal seeing some of the most unhinged, far-right figures in the country try to toss him in prison. And legal experts who weighed in late Thursday really don’t think there’s a case to be made that Comey should be locked up.

“This is not criminal,” CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said late Thursday. “This is not a criminally chargeable threat against the president. It’s political speech. It’s way too broad. It’s stupid, it’s reckless. It’s not criminal. That’s just hyperbole that you’re hearing from the cabinet members there.”

But those cabinet members are people with real power. And while they used to be people you could safely dismiss and fringe figures, these are now the folks who run the country. As recently as a few years ago, guys like Patel were writing bizarre children’s books depicting Donald Trump as a king and promising to “come after” members of the media. That guy is now the head of the FBI, and he’s perfectly capable of tossing anyone in prison, right along with other folks in charge like Noem and Gabbard. The question is whether this is the time they finally do it.