US federal authorities are investigating what appears to be a massive etching of \u201c8647\u201d into the grass of the National Mall.<\/p>\n
Live webcam footage<\/a> from atop the Washington Monument as of Thursday afternoon shows the markings, with a highly visible \u201c8,\u201d along with less visible \u201c6\u201d, \u201c4\u201d and \u201c7\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201c86\u201d is frequently used across the restaurant industry to mean stop or get rid of something, while Donald Trump<\/a> is the 47th president of the US.<\/p>\n \u201cAt approximately 11.30am, US Park police responded to a report of vandalism of the west lawn of the Washington Monument,\u201d the US Park police said. \u201cThe numbers \u20188647\u2019 were marked in the grass.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined. Grass samples have been collected for testing. The investigation is ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n A US Department of Interior spokesperson called the incident \u201cderanged vandalism\u201d, saying: \u201cAny threat against the president is taken very seriously by the department, and our US Park police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n It remains unclear when, or how, the numbers were etched into the ground.<\/p>\n In April, James Comey, a former FBI director, was charged over a picture he posted last year on Instagram that depicted seashells arranged in the same numbers on a beach.<\/p>\n The Department of Justice charged<\/a> Comey \u2013 who led an investigation into Trump\u2019s ties to Russia \u2013 with two felonies, including making a threat against the president and transmitting that threat across state lines via social media.<\/p>\n Following his post, Comey took down the picture, saying in a statement<\/a> on Instagram: \u201cI didn\u2019t realize some folks associated those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.\u201d<\/p>\n Comey has maintained<\/a> his innocence, and vowed to fight the charges.<\/p>\n The latest incident comes just weeks before the US marks its 250th anniversary, with a series of events planned across the National Mall as part of the \u201cGreat American State Fair\u201d.<\/p>\n It also comes in the wake of extensive renovations to the area, overseen personally by Trump. The upgrades included a $13.1m makeover<\/a> of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, transforming it from a \u201cgray stone\u201d appearance to an \u201cAmerican-flag blue\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n