Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called for the arrest of former FBI Director James Comey after accusing him of “issuing a hit” on President Donald Trump following a controversial Instagram post that has since been deleted.
Gabbard said that Comey should be “put behind bars” for what she said was a clear threat against the president.
The scandal erupted Thursday when Comey shared an image of seashells arranged to form the numbers “8647” with the caption “Cool shell formation on my beach walk…”
The post immediately drew backlash from Trump supporters and administration officials, who interpreted it as a veiled threat, noting that “86” is a term often used in the restaurant industry to mean something should be removed or eliminated, while “47” could reference Trump as the 47th president.
“When we have two assassination attempts on the president’s life, when we have people who look to guys like Comey, [who have] been celebrated by MSNBC and the Democrat elite and CNN as the beacon of integrity, the law and order guy, the guy who would tell the truth no matter what the consequences, this is the guy who’s issuing a hit on President Trump,” Gabbard said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Hours after posting the image, Comey deleted it and published a clarification: “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 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.”
The White House condemned Comey’s post, with deputy chief of staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich calling it “deeply concerning” in a statement on X.
“While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as ‘a hit’ on the sitting President of the United States — a message etched in the sand,” Budowich wrote. “This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.”
Multiple federal agencies have reportedly responded to the incident. A Secret Service source told Fox News Digital that the agency was aware of the post and agents were being sent to investigate and interview Comey.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also stated that federal law enforcement officials are probing the “threat.”
“The rule of law says people like him who issue direct threats against the POTUS, essentially issuing a call to assassinate him, must be held accountable under the law,” 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.”
But CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig called the idea of legal threats against Comey “ridiculous.”
“This is not criminal. This is not a criminally chargeable threat against the president. It’s political speech. It’s way too broad,” Honig said. “It’s stupid, it’s reckless. It’s not criminal. That’s just hyperbole that you’re hearing from the cabinet members there.”
Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 while leading an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
A year later, after Comey published a memoir about his relationship with Trump, the president dismissed him as a “proven leaker and liar.” Comey later supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President of the United States.
As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the… pic.twitter.com/zvbu5Vf0zg
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) May 16, 2025