A photo of seashells and a series of numbers have reared their heads back into the spotlight as Former FBI Director James Comey, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, has been indicted for a second time.
The indictment, which was first reported by CNN and The New York Times, revolves around a social media post by Comey from May 2025. In a since-deleted picture on Instagram, Comey posted the number 8647 formed by seashells on the beach, according to Reuters.
“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey said.
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The post sparked rage from members of the Trump administration at the time who painted it as a veiled threat against Trump. The then Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees the Secret Service, said that both the DHS and Secret Service would investigate and “respond appropriately.”
Both prosecutions have come after Trump specifically called for Comey to be criminally charged in September. Comey served as director of the FBI during the first Trump administration, before Trump fired him in 2017.
With Comey again back in the news for his post, what exactly does 8647 mean?
What does ‘8647’ mean? Possible message behind Comey’s post
Comey’s post was interpreted by some as saying to “86” No. 47 — Trump is the 47th president.
According to Merriam-Webster, “86” is used as a colloquial term meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of,” or “to refuse service to.”
The origin of the term is debated, with one theory saying it came from when barkeeps threw disorderly guests out of a former New York bar called Chumley’s, which was located at 86 Bedford St.
Another version, cited in the book “The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York,” was that during Prohibition, police would call the bartenders at Chumley’s to ‘86’ their patrons out the 86 Bedford door so they wouldn’t have to arrest them.
Merriam-Webster says the term came from 1930s soda-counter slang, meaning that an item was sold out and may have originated from the term “nix,” a phrase still used by wait staff in restaurants and bars.
USA TODAY’s Melina Khan and Aysha Bagchi contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does 8647 mean? What to know as James Comey is indicted again
