Ex-FBI director James Comey faces criminal charges over '86 47' social media post: What it means
The Justice Department framed the charges based on a photo Comey posted showing seashells arranged on a North Carolina beach in the shape of ’86 47,’ according to acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche. Authorities allege the post was interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump.
“Threatening the life of the president of the United States will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice,” said Blanche. “Each of these counts carries a possible prison term of 10 years,” he said.
Count one of the indictment alleges, “Comey ‘knowingly and willfully’ made a threat to take the life of, or cause bodily harm to, the President of the United States.” Count two states, “Comey knowingly transmitted a communication through interstate commerce containing a threat to injure another person.”
Earlier, in September last year, he was charged with allegedly lying to Congress about leaks to the media. However, that case did not move forward and was later dismissed.
What does 86 47 mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, the slang term ‘86’ originally meant to ‘throw out,’ ‘get rid of,’ or ‘refuse service.’ It started in the 1930s in restaurants and diners, where ‘86’ was used when an item was sold out or no longer available.
Over time, ‘86’ has become a slang term for ‘kill’ or ‘remove.’ However, Merriam-Webster noted, “We do not enter this sense due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”
In this context, ‘47’ refers to Donald Trump being the 47th President of the US.
James Comey on latest charge
In a video statement, the former FBI Director said, “Well, they’re back – this time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago, and this won’t be the end of it.”
He added that the legal troubles have not changed his position. “Nothing has changed with me. I’m still innocent, I’m still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So, let’s go,” Comey said.