By Steve Neavling
The U.S. Secret Service tracked former FBI Director James Comey and his wife in unmarked cars and monitored his phone location after a cryptic social media post in May was interpreted by President Trump allies as a threat against the president, according to three government officials familiar with the matter, The New York Times reports.
Comey had posted a photo of seashells arranged to read “86 47” — a combination of slang meaning to get rid of someone and the numerical reference to Trump’s second presidency. The post quickly drew backlash from Trump supporters, including Donald Trump Jr., who accused Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered.”
Comey deleted the post and said he was unaware of the violent connotation. He later spoke with the Secret Service by phone and explained that he meant no harm. But rather than close the matter, the agency deployed both digital and physical surveillance, tracking the Comeys from the North Carolina coast through Virginia and monitoring his home in the D.C. area, officials said.
The Secret Service cited “exigent circumstances” to justify the unusual level of surveillance, which is a term used to describe urgent threats. At the time, Trump was overseas in the Middle East.
Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade called the surveillance “huge overkill,” adding, “It almost seems like someone was exploiting the opportunity to exact retribution against one of President Trump’s enemies.”
The Secret Service initially declined to comment but later defended the surveillance in a statement, saying it “will vigorously investigate any individual, regardless of position or status, that may pose or be perceived as a threat.”
