Former FBI Director James Comey is under investigation after posting a photo of seashells on the beach spelling out “8647.” “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey said May 15.
The post caused an uproar among allies of President Donald Trump, the 47th president, who said Comey’s use of “86” was an incitement of violence against the president.
“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said.
How “eighty-six” started There are several theories about when and where the term “86” originated.
Comey said he assumed the shells were a “political message,” and he would not be the first person in politics to use the term “86” that way.
PolitiFact was where this article first appeared.
James Comey, the former director of the FBI, is being investigated for sharing a picture of seashells on the beach that spells out “8647.”. “.”.
Comey said, “Nice shell formation on my beach walk,” on May 15.
Trump’s supporters, who support the 47th president, were outraged by the post, claiming that Comey’s use of the number 86 was an incitement to violence against the president.
Watch as Brooks and Capehart discuss Trump’s changes to Middle East policy.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, wrote on X, “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump.”. “DHS and the Secret Service are looking into this threat and will take the proper action. “”.
After Trump fired Comey, who was director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, he removed the image and stated in a subsequent post that he was not advocating violence against Trump.
“I thought I was sending a political message when I posted a picture of some shells I saw today while walking on the beach,” Comey said. “I had no idea that some people connected those figures to violence.”. It never occurred to me, but I removed the post because I’m against all forms of violence. “.”.
Let’s examine the origins of the term “eighty-six” and its definition.
The origins of “eighty-six”.
Regarding the origin of the term “86,” there are a number of theories. In general, the signs indicate the hospitality sector.
Ben Zimmer, a linguist, lexicographer, and contributing writer for The Atlantic, explained that the term “86” came from the restaurant industry, where it was used as a code to indicate that a menu item was unavailable or that a customer needed to be escorted off the property. Beginning in the late 1940s, the verb “eighty-six” was used to mean throwing away or getting rid of something. The verb usually meant to eject someone from the premises when it was used to refer to a person. “”.
“86” has its roots in 1930s soda-counter slang, which indicates that an item was sold out, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Although there is conflicting anecdotal evidence regarding the origin of the term “eighty-six,” the most widely accepted theory is that it is rhyming slang for “nix.”. “.”.
According to other theories, the 86th person would run out of soup because a typical pot during the Great Depression could only hold 85 servings. Some claim that 86 originates from a speakeasy on 86th Street, St. in New York City. In 2019, George Mahe, dining editor for Louis Magazine, wrote.
“The idea that ‘eighty-six’ has to do with killing someone is a relatively recent development in the term’s history, even though it can occasionally have violent connotations,” Zimmer said. “.”.
Merriam-Webster states in a post on its website that because of its relative recentness and sparseness of usage, it does not include the word “killing” in its definition of “eighty-six.”. “.”.
Other dictionaries, according to Zimmer, do not define the term in that way either. Slang dictionaries typically contain that meaning, he said.
When did the phrase first appear in politics?
Comey claimed that he believed the shells were sending a “political message,” and he would not be the first politician to use the term “86” in that context.
Former Representative “We’ve now 86’d: McCarthy, McDaniel, McConnell.”. R-Fla. Matt Gaetz. noted on X in February 2024 that Sen. Mitch McConnell declared he would resign as majority leader following the election of the president. “The Republican Party is going to have better times. “”.
In October of 2020, Mr. Republicans reacted negatively to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer’s interview when they pointed out a tiny pin on a table behind her that bore the numbers “8645.”. Trump was vying for reelection and was the 45th president at the time. ().
A conservative activist named Jack Posobiec wrote “86 46” on X in January 2022, alluding to former President Joe Biden.
The current governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant in 2018. The restaurant employees wrote “86 — Sarah Huckabee Sanders” in their overnight note, according to news reports at the time.
When you search for “8647” on the online marketplace Etsy, you can find clothing, stickers, and pins that contain the number. “Anti-Trump” appears in the title of the majority of the items. Amazon yields comparable results.
Items bearing the terms “8646” are also sold on both websites. The titles of those products include the words “patriotic,” “protest,” and “Impeach Biden.”.
Is the phrase a call to violence?
A number of former FBI agents were interviewed by PolitiFact regarding the term’s usage and whether it encourages political violence.
According to Frank Figliuzzi, a retired FBI special agent and national security contributor for NBC News and MSNBC, “I have never in my 25 years of the FBI seen that term used with intention to incite violence.”.
Currently operating a security consulting firm, Michael Tabman, a former FBI special agent, stated that he “does not recall 86 being used as a call to political violence.”. I don’t think Comey meant to provoke violence; he just wanted to vent his frustration. “.”.
When I do hear someone say something that I know they don’t mean, however, I warn them not to say it again or the (Secret Service) will come to them, Tabman stated.
Another former FBI special agent, Bobby Chacon, stated that all threats “must be taken in context to what’s happening in the world around them.”. “”.
According to Chacon, “public figures who use these terms must be aware of the current political climate and the context that some of their followers may interpret from their comments, even though the term 86 has been around for a long time and being used in many different ways.”. “”.
