politics
Los Altos Vice Mayor Changes Facebook Profile Picture to '86 47' Seashells
Los Altos Vice Mayor Larry Lang posted an image of seashells arranged as '86 47' on social media, prompting calls for his resignation from California Republicans. The phrase mirrors one that led to former FBI Director James Comey's federal indictment for alleged threats against President Trump. Pod Wcaster Joe Rogan criticized Comey's charges as 'nuts' on his podcast.
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Los Altos Vice Mayor Larry Lang updated his Facebook cover photo this week to an image of seashells arranged to form '86 47,' the same formation that resulted in former FBI Director James Comey's indictment last month. Lang also commented '86 47' on a Facebook post by the California Republican Party earlier this week, which featured a news segment on the state's gubernatorial debate.
California GOP Chairperson Corrin Rankin stated Friday on X that the post represented an unacceptable death threat directed at President Donald Trump.
' after uncovering Lang's posts. Republican National Committee spokesperson Nick Poche said Democrats 'must immediately dial back their unhinged rhetoric' to avoid encouraging supporters who might wish to kill the president, referencing the suspect in the recent White House Correspondents Dinner shooting stopped by the Secret Service.
Lang's email returned an automatic response indicating he was traveling until May 4.
His Facebook cover photo was changed on Friday, and the posts have since been deleted. Lang serves as vice mayor of the Los Altos City Council and sits on over half-a-dozen regional boards of directors. The California Republican Party post Lang commented on included a segment where Rankin argued that Democrats in California 'have no solutions' and that Californians are ready for new leadership after 16 years of Democratic Party rule in the state.
The '86 47' phrase stems from Comey's May 2025 Instagram post of seashells arranged similarly, which prosecutors interpret as a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Prosecutors state that '86' can mean 'get rid of' or 'eliminate,' as in restaurant slang, and argue '86 47' refers to eliminating Trump.
Comey removed the post the same day it was uploaded and claimed he had misinterpreted the shells as a general political message, viewing it as political rather than threatening.
