The Merriam-Webster dictionary traces “86” to “1930s soda-counter slang meaning that an item was sold out. There is varying anecdotal evidence about why the term eighty-six was used, but the most common theory is that it is rhyming slang for nix.”

Dan Bongino, the FBI's deputy director, condemned former FBI Director James Comey's "86 47" social media post as the FBI and Secret Service investigate potential threats.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino criticized former FBI Director James Comey for his controversial “8647” social media post and said the department is now inundated with copycats. The fallout from Comey’s Thursday social media post continued on Monday when Bongino released a not-so-veiled statement denouncing “self-serving individuals.

Former FBI Director James Comey said Monday that the group of advisors President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with is “concerning,” using a press conference debacle from Trump’s first term to describe them.

But the year is not 2025 with former FBI director James B. Comey; it’s 2020 with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). While Comey on Thursday stoked controversy by posting a photo of seashells arranged in a formation of “86 47,

FBI head James Comey is getting lambasted online after he shared a post on social media that many are taking as a "hit" on President Donald Trump's life.

So, when former FBI director James Comey — a crime novelist these days — posted a photo on social media of shells spelling out “86 47” on a beach, he apparently was directing a message to “86″ the 47th president of the United States — Donald Trump.