Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche clarifies that the phrase '86 47' is not automatically a threat under DOJ policy, even as President Trump labels it a mob death threat and James Comey faces indictment over a seashell photo.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche remains unperturbed by the widespread use of a slang term that President Trump has claimed is an unambiguous death threat.
The term in question is 86 47, which combines a hospitality industry shorthand for discarding something with the number of the current president. During a recent interview, NBC News host Kristen Welker pressed Blanche on whether the Department of Justice views the phrase as a genuine threat against the president. She highlighted that a simple search on Amazon.com reveals dozens of products featuring the phrase 86 47, ranging from t-shirts to mugs, all being sold and purchased by the public.
Blanche acknowledged the prevalence of the term but insisted that the numbers alone do not constitute a prosecutable threat under DOJ guidelines. He explained that while threatening statements against President Trump are made constantly, each case requires a thorough investigation based on specific facts and circumstances. This distinction, he argued, is why the mere act of selling or buying such merchandise does not automatically lead to federal charges.
The conversation took a sharp turn when Welker referenced the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, who was charged after posting a photograph of seashells arranged to spell out 86 47 on a beach. Comey had shared the image on Instagram last year, later removing it and clarifying that he did not realize the phrase was associated with violence. Blanche defended the indictment by emphasizing that the DOJ does not charge individuals based solely on public perception.
He stated that every case depends on a comprehensive investigation, and in Comey’s situation, the seashell post was just one piece of a larger puzzle. According to Blanche, the 11-month gap between the posting and the indictment demonstrates that the department conducts meticulous work before bringing charges. He added that the DOJ has already charged dozens of individuals this year for making threats against President Trump and other officials, underscoring that such prosecutions are not new.
However, critics argue that the Comey case sets a dangerous precedent, potentially chilling free speech and artistic expression under the guise of national security. President Trump has amplified the controversy by publicly declaring that 86 47 is a mob term meaning kill him. In a Truth Social post earlier this week, he wrote, 86 is a mob term for kill him. They say 86 him! 86 47 means kill President Trump.
He further accused Comey of being a Dirty Cop who knew this full well, referencing the phrase Eight Miles Out, Six Feet Down as a supposed code for assassination. This rhetoric has fueled a frenzy among Trump supporters, who view the term as an existential threat, while civil libertarians warn that such claims could be used to justify political persecution.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the term 86 has benign origins in restaurant culture, where it simply means to remove an item from a menu or refuse service. Legal experts note that without explicit intent to harm, the phrase may be protected under the First Amendment. As the DOJ continues to navigate this linguistic minefield, the public remains divided over whether the government is appropriately balancing security concerns with constitutional rights.
The case against Comey is expected to test these boundaries in court, with implications for how online speech is regulated in the age of polarized politics
86 47 Slang Todd Blanche DOJ James Comey Indictment Trump Death Threat First Amendment Free Speech
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