The U.S. Department of the Interior said on Thursday it is investigating what appeared to be a large tracing of “8647” into the grounds of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A Reuters photographer atop the Washington Monument saw the apparent marking in the grass near the World War Two Memorial shortly before authorities arrived at the scene.

The protest comes as West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio announced they would deploy hundreds of additional National Guard troops to the nation's capital.

The ACLU of DC alleged the incident was retaliatory, but the government characterized it as a security issue amid a "heightened threat environment."

The White House shared the images in 2026 with the label "DECLINE IS A CHOICE."

The ruling comes after accusations that President Donald Trump weaponized his Justice Department by indicting ex-FBI chief James Comey for using the phrase.

Disciplinary officials in Washington said on Friday that a former federal prosecutor should be suspended from practicing law for six months, finding she used deceptively ​edited videos as evidence in criminal cases against protesters during Republican President ‌Donald Trump's first inauguration.