Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to be escorted by US Secret Service agents to their Washington Field Office on Friday afternoon, according to a law enforcement source.
Comey will be interviewed by agents investigating a social media post he posted Thursday showing shells in the sand on a beach spelling out “86 47,” which has become a popular social media code for removing Trump from the presidency, according to the law enforcement source.
Comey is not in custody and is appearing voluntarily, the source said.
In explaining why he removed the post, Comey wrote on Instagram that he had “posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message.”
It is expected that Comey will be asked if he intended the message as a threat, or to inspire others who might consider an act of violence against Trump, the source said. Ultimately, a decision on whether the case is chargeable as a threat against the president may lie with the US attorney in Washington.
“The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to CNN. “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.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Source: edition.cnn.com