A California vice mayor is under growing pressure to resign after the state Republican Party said screenshots show he repeatedly posted “86 47” online, the same phrase at the center of former FBI Director James Comey’s federal indictment last month.
Los Altos Vice Mayor Larry Lang changed his Facebook cover photo to a seashell-style “86 47” image and separately commented the phrase on a California GOP Facebook post, according to screenshots reviewed by Fox News Digital. Critics read the phrase as a threat against President Donald Trump, the 47th president. In restaurant slang, “86” means to get rid of something.
California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin called the posts unacceptable and said Los Altos deserves leaders who unite their community rather than amplify what she described as dangerous rhetoric. The state party publicly called for Lang’s resignation.
Via @FoxNews: California Republican Party Chairwoman @CorrinRankin: Los Altos Vice Mayor Larry Lang Must Resign.
Calling for the death of @realDonaldTrump days after an assassination attempt is unacceptable.
Contact him: 650-947-2720
[email protected]https://t.co/kuinZxksxn— California Republican Party (@CAGOP) May 2, 2026
The deleted-post claim quickly became part of the public pressure around Lang.
UPDATE: Larry Lang just deleted his “8647” post
He needs to resign as vice mayor!
You can contact him here: [email protected] https://t.co/NRb7jlSL6y
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 1, 2026
Fox News Digital reported the details behind the resignation demand:
Screenshots shared by the California Republican Party and reviewed by Fox showed Lang using the “86 47” message in more than one place online. One screenshot showed a Facebook cover image arranged in the same seashell-style format that became nationally known after Comey’s case. Another showed Lang commenting the phrase on a California GOP Facebook post about Rankin debating candidates for California governor.
Rankin said the message was unacceptable and argued that Los Altos residents deserve local officials who lower the temperature instead of fueling it. The state party also connected Lang’s conduct to broader Democratic rhetoric toward Trump and Republicans, saying elected Democrats should stop normalizing violent language toward the president and his supporters.
The Fox account also noted the response status from the city side. Lang’s automatic email reply said he was traveling until May 4, and Fox said it reached out to Los Altos council members without receiving a response before publication. Lang’s Facebook cover photo had been changed Friday, after the controversy had already started drawing attention from conservative accounts and the state party.
The legal backdrop is what makes the phrase impossible for public officials to wave away as harmless political noise. On April 21, the Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury had indicted Comey over alleged threats to harm President Trump tied to a May 2025 Instagram image reading “86 47.”
The Justice Department gave these details in its announcement:
The indictment accused Comey of knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of, or inflict bodily harm upon, President Trump. Prosecutors tied that count to a May 15, 2025 Instagram image showing the text “86 47,” which they alleged a reasonable recipient familiar with the circumstances would understand as a serious expression of intent to harm the president.
DOJ also listed a second count involving transmission of a threat in interstate commerce. The department said the threat charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if there is a conviction. Its announcement also included the standard but important reminder that an indictment is only an accusation, and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
That is the context now surrounding the phrase. A former FBI director is facing federal charges over the same formulation, and now a sitting California vice mayor is being pressed to explain why it appeared in his own online activity.
Outrage as California vice mayor posts vile ‘death threat’ aimed at President Trump: ‘He needs to resign’ Los Altos Vice Mayor Larry Lang also recently removed a post featuring the same seashell image that led to former FBI Director James Comey’s indictm… https://t.co/CJXomjYV8O pic.twitter.com/EeXQ2O24Fs
— UnfilteredAmerica (@NahBabyNahNah) May 2, 2026
Lang may hope this blows over while he is out of town. The problem is that public officials do not get to flirt with language their own side would treat as a national scandal if it were aimed at a Democrat. If Los Altos leaders want the public to believe this was somehow innocent, they owe voters a real explanation.
How do you see it?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
