'He's a Very Dirty Cop': Trump Reacts to 'Crooked' James Comey's Indictment Over '86 47' Post

After former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey was indicted for a second time on Tuesday, April 28, over a social media post that “probably” threatened President Donald Trump's life, the latter addressed the same during a Q&A session in the Oval Office on Wednesday, April 29.

The Instagram post made by Comey which put him in trouble showed seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.”

He captioned the image, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

Authorities are now examining whether the numbers carried a hidden message, as Trump insisted the figures may have hinted at a threat to his life.

Speaking with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, the president shared his views regarding the matter.

On Wednesday, April 29, Collins asked Trump about Comey’s post and eventual indictment for a second time.

“He’s now been charged… over a social media post with seashells that said ‘86 47.’ Do you really think that he was endangering your life or threatening your life with that post?” Collins asked.

“Well, if anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86, you know what eighty... it’s a mob term for kill them, you know? You ever see the movies? ‘86’em,’ the mobster says to one of his wonderful associates,” the president responded.

“‘86’em,’ that means kill’em! It’s... I think of it as a mob term,” Trump said.

He continued, “I don’t know, people think of [it] as something having to do with disappearing, but the mob uses that term to say when they want to kill somebody, they say, ‘86 the son of a gun.’”

Following Trump's response, Collins counter-questioned, asking him if he really thought "86" was intended as a threat to him.

“But do you really think your life was in danger?” Collins pressed.

Trump replied, “Probably, I don’t know, you know, based on what I’m seeing out there, yeah... People like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others. You know, Comey is a dirty cop, he’s a very dirty cop.”

“He cheated on the elections, he tried to help Hillary Clinton, as you know. He dismissed a lot of things that he should have proceeded with, that I wasn’t involved, but he should have proceeded with. No, he’s a dirty cop. He’s a crooked man,” the president said.

Comey shared the "86 47" Instagram post in 2025.

According to The New York Times, he later deleted the post, as prosecutors interpreted the number “86” as a connotation for “killing,” while "47" allegedly referred to Trump, the 47th president of the United States.

Speaking on the issue, lexicographer Jesse Sheidlower said, “Yes, it can mean ‘to murder.’ But without any very specific indication that that’s the intended meaning, you’d never assume that.”

Following this, the Trump administration insisted that the post was meant as a threat to the president and therefore attempted to prosecute Comey.

While CNN reported that the president's advisors were making a second attempt to prosecute Comey, the former FBI director denied any harmful intent.

After his indictment, Comey shared a video on his Substack, saying “This won't be the end of it. I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let's go.”