{"id":2598224,"date":"2026-05-03T12:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T16:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tillis-says-86-has-roots-in-restaurant-industry-after-comey-indicted\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T12:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T16:58:47","slug":"tillis-says-86-has-roots-in-restaurant-industry-after-comey-indicted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tillis-says-86-has-roots-in-restaurant-industry-after-comey-indicted\/","title":{"rendered":"Tillis says &#8217;86&#8217; has roots in restaurant industry after Comey indicted"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftillis-says-86-has-roots-in-restaurant-industry-after-comey-indicted%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598224&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sen. Thom Tillis said he doesn\u2019t believe James comey\u2019s \u201c86 47\u201d seashell photo amounts to a criminal call for violence, arguing that \u201c86\u201d is restaurant slang meaning to \u201cthrow out\u201d or \u201cget rid of,\u201d not a directive to harm anyone. The debate intensified after the DOJ indicted Comey following the May 2025 post, with critics claiming the phrase meant \u201cget rid of\u201d Trump. Tillis added that if there\u2019s more than the picture, there must be additional facts and circumstances to justify an indictment. Acting Attorney general Todd Blanche also said the investigation involved more than the photo, and Sen. Adam Schiff responded that the case appears unusually weak, mockingly referring to it as a \u201cseashells case,\u201d echoing wider political skepticism about the indictment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thom-tillis\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"973\">Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-NC) said on Sunday that he believes posting \u201c86 47\u201d is not a crime in light of the indictment against former FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comey\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"169\">James Comey<\/a>, arguing that the term \u201c86\u201d has its roots in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/restaurants\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1345\">restaurant<\/a> industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this whole case is based on a picture in the sand of a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"552\">North Carolina<\/a> beach, it again makes no sense to me,\u201d Tillis said on CNN\u2019s <em>State of the Union<\/em>. \u201cI used to work in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newt-gingrich-agrees-with-trump-on-2000-checks-says-middle-class-has-been-hardest-hit-video\/\" title=\"Newt Gingrich Agrees With Trump On ,000 Checks, Says Middle Class Has Been Hardest Hit (VIDEO)\">restaurant industry<\/a>, and I think \u201986\u2019 actually has its roots as a cook. It has its roots at \u201986ing\u2019 the menu or \u201986ing\u2019 the product.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4552810\/blanche-comey-86-47-seashell-photo-trump\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Blanche says it was \u2018not just\u2019 Comey\u2019s \u201986 47\u2032 seashell post that led to indictment<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4551720\/rubio-old-roommate-convicted-covertly-lobbying-maduro-venezuela\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rubio\u2019s old roommate convicted of covertly lobbying for Maduro\u2019s Venezuela<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4550751\/secret-service-director-deny-agent-friendly-fire\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Secret Service director denies agent was wounded by friendly fire<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Debate over the meaning of the term \u201c86\u201d was renewed after Comey posted an image of seashells on a beach in the formation \u201c86 47\u201d in May 2025. Critics of Comey and supporters of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> have argued that the term called for violence against Trump and was a call \u201cto get rid of\u201d him. The term has become popular on the Left, and the Department of Justice released an indictment of Comey, who has denied it was a call to violence, over the incident.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The term \u201c86,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/wordplay\/eighty-six-meaning-origin\">according to<\/a> Merriam-Webster, means \u201cto throw out,\u201d \u201cto get rid of,\u201d or \u201cto <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/masterpiece-cakeshop-christian-baker-on-trial-again-this-time-sued-by-transgender-activist\/\" title=\"Masterpiece Cakeshop Christian Baker On Trial Again: This Time Sued By Transgender Activist\">refuse service<\/a> to,\u201d but had its roots in 1930s restaurant industry slang to mean something was \u201cnixed\u201d or sold out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t find any evidence where \u201986\u2019 is used to as a call for violence,\u201d Tillis said. \u201cAnd again, if it\u2019s more than just the picture \u2014 it reminds me of the two minutes of testimony against [Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome] Powell \u2014 it better be more than just the picture. There have to be facts and circumstances beyond that to convince me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tillis, a Republican, has often disagreed with the Trump administration on its investigations, standing against the inquiry into Powell over the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-reserve\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"726\">Federal Reserve<\/a> renovations.<\/p>\n<p>Acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"20883\">Todd Blanche<\/a> said earlier on Sunday that there was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4552810\/blanche-comey-86-47-seashell-photo-trump\/\">more to the investigation<\/a> that led to the indictment than just the seashell photo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRest assured that the career assistant United States attorneys in\u00a0North Carolina, the career FBI agents, the career Secret Service agents that investigated this case didn\u2019t just look at the Instagram post and walk away,\u201d Blanche <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4552810\/blanche-comey-86-47-seashell-photo-trump\/\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/adam-schiff\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"130\">Adam Schiff<\/a> (D-CA), a frequent critic of the Trump administration and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-bidens-laptop-from-hell-repairman-says-life-upended-bankruptcy-looms\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden&#039;s &#039;Laptop from Hell&#039; Repairman Says Life Upended, Bankruptcy Looms\">perceived political enemy<\/a> of Trump, also had choice words for the indictment of Comey in a Sunday morning interview on NBC\u2019s <em>Meet the Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4552810\/blanche-comey-86-47-seashell-photo-trump\/\">BLANCHE SAYS IT WAS \u2018NOT JUST\u2019 COMEY\u2019S \u201986 47\u2032 SEASHELL POST THAT LED TO INDICTMENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was a prosecutor for almost six years; I never saw such a weak case,\u201d Schiff told NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker. \u201cI think, Kristen, in the future in the Department of Justice, if anyone ever suggests bringing a case this week, they\u2019ll be a new name for it. They\u2019ll be called \u2018seashells cases.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Trump DOJ has also <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3894332\/maryland-grand-jury-investigating-handling-adam-schiff-mortgage-fraud-inquiry-source\/\">investigated Schiff <\/a>in relation to mortgage fraud allegations, but has not indicted the California senator.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tillis says \u201c86 47\u201d isn\u2019t a crime; \u201c86\u201d comes from restaurant slang<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2598225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26043708721087-e1772990982468.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[23264,5894,79021,7122],"class_list":["post-2598224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-comey","tag-politics","tag-restaurantindustry","tag-tillis"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26043708721087-e1772990982468.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598224"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598228,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598224\/revisions\/2598228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}