New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman has shed light on the true meaning of the term '86' amid a controversy surrounding former FBI Director James Comey's indictment. The Justice Department charged Comey over a since-deleted Instagram post featuring the numbers '86 47' written in seashells on a North Carolina beach, which officials alleged was a call to kill President Donald Trump, the 47th president.
Haberman's Restaurant Anecdote
Appearing on CNN's The Source on Wednesday, Haberman told host Kaitlan Collins that she frequently used the term while working as a server in a restaurant. 'It originally was a restaurant term, as I understand it, and certainly when I was working at a restaurant, and we were saying we were 86-ing Steak au Poivre, it was because we were out of Steak au Poivre,' she explained. 'It wasn't because somebody wanted to hurt the Steak au Poivre,' she joked.
Haberman is correct: to '86' something in the restaurant industry generally means to remove it from the menu for the evening, a usage dating back to the 1930s Depression era.
Legal Experts Skeptical of Charges
Legal experts have expressed doubt about the grounds for charging Comey over the post, which appeared last summer. The '47' refers to Trump, whom Comey investigated in 2016-2017 over alleged ties between his campaign and Russia. Trump has long accused Comey of being part of an Obama administration plot to spy on and sabotage his campaign.
Comey surrendered to police on Wednesday after being charged. He was initially investigated by the Secret Service in May 2025, but the probe stalled for nearly a year as the DOJ pursued separate charges of lying to Congress. Those charges were dismissed after a judge ruled the Trump appointee overseeing the case was illegally appointed.
Comey's Response
'This won't be the end of it. But nothing has changed. I'm still innocent; I'm still not afraid. I still believe in an independent justice system,' Comey said in a video on his Substack after the charges were announced. He previously stated, 'My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn't imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees and you shouldn't either.'
The campaign against Comey and other Trump opponents at the DOJ has led to resignations of many career employees. At the Eastern District of Virginia, where the charges were brought, several high-level officials exited last year amid Trump's pressure to prosecute his enemies.
Trump's Direct Involvement
Comey's initial indictment last year followed Trump's public demand for action against him, Senator Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted the Trump Organization. In a Truth Social post, Trump urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to issue indictments, an unprecedented step. The Wall Street Journal reported the post was meant as a direct message: 'Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam Shifty Schiff, Leticia??? They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.'
Constitutional law experts now largely agree that the DOJ has lost its independence and operates as an arm of the Trump White House.
