Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemconfirmedonline Friday evening that Secret Service agents met with former FBI director James Comey earlier in the day about his "8647" social media post that some have interpreted as a threat against President Trump, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief offered no additional insight into what's next in the ongoing review of Comey's now-deleted seashell photo. "I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of (Trump)," Noemwrote onthe social platform X. "This is an ongoing investigation." DHS didn't provide additional details in response to The Hill's additional information from Noem but referred to a prior statement from the U.S. Secret Service (USSS). "The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees," the Secret Service said Friday. "We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI director and we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters." Noemsaid Thursdaythat the USSS and DHS had launched an investigation and were treating the matter as a "threat" as Republicans on Capitol Hillpushed fora thorough review. CNN first reported that Comey had agreed to a voluntary meeting with agents at the Washington Field Office on Friday. Comey, 64, posted the Instagram photo Thursday, whichshowed seashellson a beach spelling out "8647."Trump,his top alliesand other Republicans interpreted the message as a call for the 47th president's assassination. Comey denied that his post was meant to incite harm and said he "didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence." The phrase "86" is commonly used as slang for removing or throwing out something or someone. Trump, who was the target of thwarted assassination attemptsin Pennsylvaniaand Floridalast fall, rejected Comey's claim that his post was misunderstood. "He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear," Trumpsaid in an interviewwith Fox News's Bret Baier on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
