Former FBI director James Comey says he's still a bit bewildered over how a seemingly innocent Instagram shot of shells arranged in the sand led to allegations by Donald Trump among others that he was calling for the president's assassination.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary traces “86” to “1930s soda-counter slang meaning that an item was sold out. There is varying anecdotal evidence about why the term eighty-six was used, but the most common theory is that it is rhyming slang for nix.”

Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo slammed former FBI director James Comey for going on MSNBC to “lie” that his controversial “86 47” social media post was “totally innocent.” The Instagram image posted on Thursday,

James Comey’s controversial, now-deleted Instagram photo of seashells spelling out the numbers “86 47” only adds to a long list of social media posts from the former FBI director that have sparked a mix of both anger and — more often — a heavy dose of eye rolls.

Former FBI Director James Comey defended his Instagram post of '86 47' seashells, saying he had no ill intent but that he did regret the distraction it caused.

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James Comey pointed fingers at President Donald Trump’s administration Monday for their so-called