Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino raised a sharp and public condemnation against James Comey, the bureau’s former director, on Saturday, accusing Comey of shame on the agency as authorities investigate Comey’s controversial “86 47” Instagram post.
Bongino said in a statement to X that Comey's actions are another example of failed leadership, which continues to plague the agency.
"Former FBI Director James Comey has once again brought shame to the FBI badge over the past week," Bongino wrote. "The director and I spent a lot of time cleaning up the mess left by former director Comey. His latest move is no exception."
Comey knows the meaning of "assassination" behind deleting social media posts
James Comey, former director of the FBI, paused in a Bloomberg TV interview in Salzburg, Austria on June 21, 2019. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg by Getty Image)
Comey, dismissed by President Donald Trump in 2017, sparked anger after posting photos to social media on Thursday, arranged for the photo to say "86 47", a phrase widely understood as "get rid of" the 47th president. Although Comey later removed the post and claimed it was misunderstood, many, including Trump, said it was clear.
"He knows exactly what it means. A kid knows what it means," Trump said on Fox News on Friday. "If you are a director of the FBI and you don't know what it means, it means 'assassination', it's loud and clear."
Comey provided a follow-up statement online, saying he “had not realized that some people associated these numbers with violence” and that “never happened.”
Bongino strongly rejects this explanation, describing it as part of a larger pattern of misbehavior. Bongino wrote in his post:
Former FBI Director James Comey
Dan Bongino on June 18, 2019 at Fox News Channel Studios in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
“As the FBI’s deputy director, I was accused of serving as director with Patel, who is responsible for managing the world’s most powerful law enforcement agency. The directors and I are also responsible for viewing the grave mistakes made by the people within the FBI in the past and making sure they never happen again.”
He stressed the continued commitment of the FBI to support federal law enforcement partners to investigate threats involving public officials in the past or present.
"While the FBI does not have the primary investigative responsibility for investigation into the threat of POTUS, we have not made a prosecution decision, we do have the ability and authority to support other federal agencies in breach of federal law," Bongino said.
“And, of course, it is our responsibility to comment on matters involving former FBI officials and allegations of violations.”
The U.S. Secret Service has interviewed Comey on the incident. FBI Director Kash Patel said in another statement that the bureau is "communicating with Secret Service and Director Curran."
Bongino notes that this latest controversy is part of a general dysfunction of Comey's leadership inheritance, and he and Patel are working to fix it from the inside out.
“As I have said in the past, I can’t publicly release everything the director and I have done to reform the business, but I assure you that they are happening,” Bongino wrote. “Sadly, many of the agenda items are the result of the bad decisions and cruel leadership of former director Comey.
“For those who doubt me, I promise you that it’s even worse when you see the director and what I see from the inside.”
FBI Seals in the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Bongino said he chose to release a statement now as he plans to be interviewed by Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, which will air on Sunday “Futures on Sunday morning” Recorded earlier this week, before Comey Post was released.
He explained: “I am working on this issue now, not in an interview with Maria Bartiromo (Sunday) as we recorded the interview with Comey earlier in the week before the incident.”
His message to the country ended, responding to his support for the law enforcement community and the FBI’s ongoing reforms.
He said: "God bless America, and everyone who defended her."
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Bongino, a former New York Police Department official and longtime Secret Service agent, was appointed deputy director of the FBI earlier this year.
His leadership under Director Kash Patel reflects the extensive efforts of the Trump administration to restore FBI accountability and integrity after years of politically motivated misconduct.
The FBI did not immediately respond to further comments from Fox News Digital.