FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a scathing rebuke of former FBI Director James Comey on Saturday, calling his recent social media post “a disgrace” and part of a broader pattern of misconduct that still haunts the agency.
“Former FBI Director James Comey brought shame to the FBI badge, yet again,” Bongino wrote on X. “The Director and I spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up messes left behind by former Director Comey. And his latest actions are no exception.”
The controversy centers around an Instagram post Comey shared Thursday featuring seashells arranged to read “86 47,” a combination widely interpreted as a coded reference to removing or assassinating the 47th president, Donald Trump. Comey later deleted the post and claimed he “didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.”
Trump rejected that explanation, saying on Fox News, “He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant.”
Bongino agreed. In his statement, he said Comey’s excuse was not credible and said this kind of conduct is part of the “atrocious leadership” the FBI is now trying to correct.
“As the Deputy Director of the FBI, I am charged, standing with Director Patel, with managing the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world,” Bongino wrote. “Sadly, many of those agenda items are the result of former Director Comey’s poor decision-making.”
Bongino confirmed the FBI is working with the U.S. Secret Service and other agencies as the investigation into Comey’s post continues. “We certainly have a responsibility to comment on matters involving former FBI officials and allegations of law-breaking,” he said.
He also addressed the timing of his statement, noting that his previously recorded interview with Maria Bartiromo airing Sunday on FOX Business was taped before the Comey controversy erupted.
Bongino ended his post with a nod to law enforcement officers and ongoing internal reforms: “God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”