BUSTED: James Comey's cryptic '8647' doesn't mean what Trump voters say it means

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel and other far-right MAGA Republicans are calling for an investigation of former FBI Director James Comey in response to an Instagram post that depicted seashells in the sand forming the numbers "8647."

The slang expression "eight-six" means to "remove" or "eject," and Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States. Noem, in a May 15 post on X, formerly Twitter, claimed that Comey was promoting violence against President Trump.

Noem tweeted, "Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump. DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately."

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But Noem's critics are reminding her that the term "eight-six" doesn't automatically have a violent connotation. When restaurant workers, for example, say that they need to "eight-six" an order, it means cancel the order. Or a bar might "eighty-six" a customer who has had too much to drink.

Liberal firebrand and former MSNBC host Keith Olberman, in response to Noem's tweet, posted, "Listen, you lying witch, he didn't call for assassinating anyone. Since you murdered your daughter's dog maybe you ought to S--- about this."

In an article published on May 16, The Guardian's Edward Helmore delves into some of the ways in which the term "eight-six" can be used.

Helmore notes that while the term can mean "to kill" to "to murder" when used by the mafia, according to Cassell's Dictionary of Slang, it is often used without any connotation of violence.

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"There are differing etymologies of where the term '86' or to be '86' originates," Helmore explains. "The most common origin story involves Chumley's, a Prohibition-era bar at 86 Barrow Street in New York's West Village. The bar had two entrances, one on Barrow and another via Bedford, and '86' referred to the address of the door from which intoxicated or unruly guests would be ejected."

Helmore adds, "A different version of the story, narrated by the author Jef Klein in The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York, says that when 'the cops would very kindly call ahead before a (Prohibition-era) raid, they'd tell the bartender to eighty-six his customers, meaning they should exit via the 86 Bedford door' while cops came in through the Barrow Street entrance."

Helmore points out that when Joe Biden was president, some Republicans wanted to "eight-six" him from the White House — but not through the use of violence.

Helmore recalls, "The number 86 has also been used by Republicans calling for the impeachment of Joe Biden — for example, t-shirts sold on Amazon reading '8646,' indicating a call to impeach Biden, the 46th president…. Some liberals (are) accusing the right of deliberately misunderstanding Comey's intent to score political points."

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Read Edward Helmore's full article for The Guardian at this link.