Giant markings of the numbers 8647 appeared Thursday on the National Mall in Washington, prompting an investigation by federal authorities and claims of \u201cpolitical violence\u201d by the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Interior Department spokesperson called the incident \u201cderanged\u201d vandalism that \u201cwill not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department, and our U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. Park Police told NBC News in a statement that they responded Thursday morning and that a probe is underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined,\u201d the office said. \u201cGrass samples have been collected for testing. The investigation is ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sequence of numbers is at the heart of a criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted in April after the Justice Department argued he had threatened President Donald Trump\u2019s life by posting a photo on Instagram of seashells arranged to display \u201c8647.\u201d Trump is the 45th and 47th president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Restaurant veterans have said \u201c86\u201d is \u201ceveryday lingo\u201d for an item that has run out and should be removed from the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnyone who engages in or endorses political violence or assassination culture must be condemned in the harshest terms possible. They should also immediately seek psychiatric help to treat their severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has warped their brains and made them sick in the head,\u201d White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the District of Columbia \u2014 which would have jurisdiction over any potential case stemming from the incident \u2014 declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A federal judge said in a separate case this month that \u201c8647\u201d by itself is not a threat, ruling that a protest flag with those numbers flying outside a federal courthouse in Washington on land managed by the National Park Service did not need to be taken down since the phrase constituted free speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident on the National Mall comes days ahead of the United Fighting Championship fights scheduled on the nearby White House grounds Sunday and celebration events scheduled to take place on the Mall this summer in honor of the U.S.\u2019 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n