Less than two weeks after a man was killed after opening fire on Secret Service agents mere steps from the White House – and just over a month since unhinged leftist Cole Tomas Allen was charged with trying to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner – an Obama-appointed judge has ordered that an "86 47" protest be allowed to continue near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss issued a two-week restraining order against the National Park Service (NPS), which was sued after attempting to revoke the permit of Accountability Now, the leftist, anti-Trump group organizing the protest that is taking place 24/7 on NPS land a mile from the White House. The protesters had hoisted an "86 47" flag at the site, but the Secret Service considers that messaging to be direct threat to the president and federal officers ordered that the flag be taken down after the recent shooting outside the White House.
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Judge Moss, however, disagreed that the "86 47" messaging was a threat and wrote in his opinion, "The government seeks to squelch core political speech without any articulable — much less evidentiary — basis for concluding that the speech actually threatens the life or safety of the President."
A federal judge ruled Monday that the National Park Service must allow a liberal advocacy group to display an “86-47” flag near the National Mall, finding the message is protected political speech and not a threat against President Trump. pic.twitter.com/xXtrQmJJEw
— WCBM 680 (@WCBM680) June 1, 2026
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn wrote to the judge, "Based on my training and experience, I believe that this term, as it is understood today, can incite violence by others." The judge responded:
"The Court does not doubt that political violence is on the rise and that it poses a grave threat not just to the targets of the threats but to the country as a whole. But the enormity of that problem does not change the meaning of Plaintiff’s speech, which by any reasonable measure merely advocated for the President’s impeachment and removal from office — that is, ‘to throw [him] out.'"
Interestingly, the protest in question is taking place on NPS land near the George Gordon Meade statue outside a federal courthouse near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Constitution Avenue NW. Judge Moss, who was appointed by Barack Obama in 2014, works in that very courthouse, meaning he's likely passed the ongoing protest on numerous occasions.
Just last month, the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, which is undergoing a much-needed refurbishment ahead of the America 250 celebrations, was vandalized with "86 47" graffiti.
DISGUSTING: MASSIVE Anti-Trump ‘86 47’ Graffiti Found on Bottom of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Feds Vow Full Investigation
— Sergeant News Network (@sgtnewsnetwork) May 2, 2026
Vandals have spray-painted massive “86 47” graffiti across the drained floor of the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in… pic.twitter.com/xUPrPY6LlD
And, of course, former FBI director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to read "86 47," which prosecutors call "a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the president of the United States."
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