“This is a guy who threatened President Trump’s life using the ‘86 47’ language,” Patel said, referring to Stinson, a retired Coast Guard sharpshooter and FEMA instructor who served from 1988 to 2021. Stinson is set to appear in federal court Wednesday.
Court filings revealed that Stinson made numerous violent threats toward Trump, including at least 13 references to “86 47”—a coded phrase popularized by a controversial post from Comey in May. The photo, which featured seashells arranged into the numbers “86 47” and was deleted hours later, ignited a political firestorm and triggered interviews with the Secret Service.
Comey has insisted the post had no hidden meaning, explaining that “86” was a reference his wife associated with restaurant lingo for “remove,” and “47” referenced Trump’s presidency. “I regret the distraction,” he told MSNBC. “But it looks to me to be totally innocent.”
Still, Patel, now occupying Comey’s former role, wasn’t convinced.
“Tragically, this case was predictable,” he told Fox News Digital. “When Comey posted that image, it forced the FBI to reassign numerous agents to monitor a wave of copycat threats. That diverted critical resources from protecting the American people.”
Stinson, a Northern Virginia resident and self-identified member of Antifa, posted threats dating back to the 2024 election campaign. After the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Stinson wrote, “Those secret service agents moved very slowly… A missed opportunity will not come around again.”
In February, he posted, “This is war. Sides will be drawn. Antifa always wins in the end. Violence is inherently necessary.” On June 11, he allegedly wrote, “When he dies, the party is going to be yuge,” referencing Trump.
While it’s unclear how directly Comey’s post influenced Stinson, investigators noted repeated parallels in language and tone. Comey did not respond to requests for comment.
The arrest follows a separate indictment in California where another man was charged with threatening to kill Trump after his re-election. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned, “This defendant threatened the life of our President — a man who has already survived two deranged attempts on his life. We will prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”
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