Los Altos Vice Mayor Larry Lang is under mounting pressure to resign after state Republican Party officials confirmed screenshots show he repeatedly posted the phrase “86 47” online—a sequence at the heart of former FBI Director James Comey’s federal indictment.
The California GOP chair, Corrin Rankin, condemned the posts as unacceptable, stating that Los Altos residents deserve leaders who unite their community rather than amplify what she called dangerous rhetoric. The party has publicly demanded Lang’s resignation and linked his actions to broader Democratic tactics that normalize violent language toward President Trump and Republicans.
According to state party reviews of digital evidence, Lang altered his Facebook cover photo to a seashell-style image of “86 47” and separately commented the phrase on a California GOP Facebook post. The Justice Department recently charged Comey with threats to harm President Trump tied to an Instagram image posted on May 15, 2025, displaying the same phrase.
The party asserts that public officials cannot engage in language their own side would treat as a national scandal. Lang’s automatic email response indicated he was traveling until May 4, and city representatives did not respond to inquiries before publication.
