FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino: James Comey 'brought shame to the FBI again' with '86 47' post

"Former FBI Director James Comey brought shame to the FBI badge, yet again, this past week," Bongino wrote. "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."

Comey offered a follow-up statement online, saying 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 never happen again."

He stressed the FBI's continuing commitment to supporting federal law enforcement partners investigating any threats involving public officials, past or present.

"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 noted that this latest controversy is part of a general legacy of dysfunction inherited from Comey's leadership, which he and Patel are working to fix from the inside out.

"As I've stated in the past, I cannot post openly about all the things the Director and I are doing to reform the enterprise, but I assure you, they are happening," Bongino wrote. "Sadly, many of those agenda items are the result of former Director Comey's poor decision-making and atrocious leadership.

"And to those who doubt me, I assure you, when you see what the Director and I see from the inside, it's even worse."

"I'm addressing this now, rather than on our interview with Maria Bartiromo [Sunday], because we recorded that interview earlier in the week prior to the incident with Comey," he explained.

He closed with a message to the country that echoed his support for the law enforcement community and the reforms underway at the FBI.

"God bless America, and all those who defend Her," he said.

Bongino, a former NYPD officer and longtime Secret Service agent, was appointed deputy director of the FBI earlier this year. 

His leadership under Director Kash Patel reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration to restore accountability and integrity to the FBI after years of what many see as politically motivated misconduct.

The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for further comment.