FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino didn’t hold back in his criticism of former FBI Director James Comey, slamming him for once again dragging the Bureau into political controversy. Bongino called out Comey’s cryptic “86 45” social media post, widely interpreted as a call to remove President Donald Trump, as disgraceful and unbecoming of someone who once led the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
“Comey brought shame to the FBI again,” Bongino wrote on X, echoing the sentiments of many conservatives who see Comey’s repeated political meddling as part of a broader pattern of bias and corruption that used to be the FBI.
“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,” Bongino’s post continued.
Earlier this week, Comey posted a photo on social media that showed seashells arranged to spell out "86 47,” a phrase commonly used to "get rid of" the president. Comey later deleted the post and insisted it was misinterpreted.
Following outrage from his post, Comey claimed he "didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence" and that it "never occurred to me.”
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. The Director and I are also responsible for looking at grave mistakes made by people within the FBI in the past, and ensuring they…
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) May 17, 2025
Bongino assured Americans that as Deputy Director of the FBI, alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, he is responsible for overseeing the agency and making sure past serious mistakes made within the FBI are not repeated.
“While the FBI does not have primary investigative responsibility for investigating threats against the POTUS, and we do not make prosecutorial decisions, we do have the ability and authority to support other federal agencies for violations of federal law," Bongino said. “And we certainly have a responsibility to comment on matters involving former FBI officials, and allegations of law-breaking.”
Bongino went on to explain that the current controversy reflects deeper problems stemming from Comey’s failed leadership. While he can't reveal all the internal reforms, Bongino insisted that significant changes are underway, emphasizing that Comey’s poor decisions resulted in serious issues that he is working to fix.