U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle's office
ON THE RECORD · 4 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“And Cassell's Dictionary of Slang (2nd edition) defines '86' to mean: to throw out, get rid of (1940's), (1970) to kill, to murder to execute judicially, (1980) to be finished, ready to leave or out of an item or be exhausted.”
U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle's office · said 2026-08-18 · reported 2026-08-19
The filing cited a slang dictionary's definitions of '86' to bolster its threat interpretation.
“On May 15, 2025, a charismatic leader named James Comey, through the wonder of the internet, posted a coded message to his followers meaning 'kill' or 'get rid of' (a euphemism for 'kill') President Trump,'”
U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle's office · said 2026-08-18 · reported 2026-08-19
The DOJ's filing argued that Comey's Instagram post about seashells forming '86 47' was a coded threat against Trump.
“There is no serious dispute that an objective viewer of Comey's post could read it to mean 'Kill President Trump.'”
U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle's office · said 2026-08-18 · reported 2026-08-19
Boyle's office argued that an objective viewer could read the post as a threat to kill Trump.
“Comey has admitted that the '47' referred to President Trump,”
U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle's office · said 2026-08-18 · reported 2026-08-19
Boyle's office noted that Comey had acknowledged the '47' in his post referred to Trump.