NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� says that he's still a bit bewildered over how a seemingly innocent Instagram shot of shells arranged in the sand led to allegations by among others that he was calling for the president's assassination and to an interview with the Secret Service.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a bit of a distraction, honestly,鈥� Comey said with a weary laugh Monday night during an appearance at a Barnes & Noble on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Comey was promoting 鈥淔DR Drive,鈥� a crime novel coming out this week. One of the book's themes, ironically, is weighing the potential of speech to incite others to violence.
Comey, whom amid an FBI investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump鈥檚 first presidential campaign, explained Monday that he and his wife, Patrice, had been returning from a walk on the beach last Thursday when they came upon some shells organized in a way that resembled numbers, including 鈥�86.鈥�
They speculated over whether it was a home address, or a political message. His wife noted that 鈥�86鈥� in some restaurants means they had run out of an ingredient. Comey remembered it was slang for saying something was boring and should be 鈥渄itched.鈥�
鈥淎nd she said, 鈥榊ou should take a picture of it.' So I took a picture of it, and then we walk home and she said, 鈥榊ou should really put that on Instagram. It鈥檚 kind of a cool thing.鈥� I said, 'You鈥檙e right. It鈥檚 a cool thing,鈥欌�� he explained.
To many viewers, the numbers seemed to spell out 86 and 47. Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says meaning 鈥渢o throw out,鈥� 鈥渢o get rid of鈥� or 鈥渢o refuse service to.鈥� It notes: 鈥淎mong the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of 鈥檛o kill.'鈥�
Trump is the country's 47th president.
鈥淪ome hours later she (Patrice) said to me, 鈥榊ou know, people on the internet are saying you鈥檙e calling for the assassination of Donald Trump," Comey explained. 鈥淎nd I said, 鈥橶ell, if they鈥檙e saying that, I鈥檓 taking it down because I don鈥檛 want any part of violence.'"
Comey quickly pulled the image, but it had already reached the attention of Trump and other administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary and FBI Director . Trump himself, interviewed on Friday on Fox News, said that Comey "knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you鈥檙e the FBI director and you don鈥檛 know what that meant, that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear.鈥�
Comey confirmed Monday that he received a call from the Secret Service later Thursday, spoke to them on the phone and agreed to meet with them in person.
"And so they gave me a ride to their headquarters, the Washington field office interviewed me," he said. 鈥淚t seems like a year ago, but it was Friday, right? I told them what I just told you. And so I, it seems like a thing that I don鈥檛 fully understand and maybe it'll go away now."
Comey has written several books since Trump fired him, including the million-selling memoir 鈥淎 Higher Loyalty.鈥� More recently, he has taken up fiction, his previous novels including 鈥淐entral Park Drive鈥� and 鈥淲estport.鈥�
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
