In a scathing rebuke, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Thursday slammed former FBI Director James Comey for a now-deleted Instagram post, claiming it has led the agency to waste “countless man hours” investigating “86 47” threats against President Donald Trump.
The controversy stems from an Instagram photo Comey posted of seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47.”
While Comey later claimed he was unaware of the controversial connotations, the numbers have been interpreted by some as a coded call for violence against President Trump, with “86” meaning to “get rid of” and “47” referring to Trump as the 47th president.
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“I’ve got to tell you, of all the things that have surprised me in the close to now three months I’ve been here is the depravity of Jim Comey,” Bongino stated. “This man is a disgrace to the badge, the FBI, and the country.” He further criticized Comey for “taking personal shots” at FBI Director Patel and for seemingly blaming his wife for the post, all while “implying a threat towards the president.”
Bongino highlighted the tangible impact of Comey’s actions, “We have wasted countless man hours now running out tips to our tip line about people putting ‘8647’ because of Jim Comey, because he cannot control himself and his emotions. He is a child. He is a big child.”
Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security launched investigations into Comey’s post, suspecting it might have been an incitement to violence against President Trump.
“Do you know how many agents I’ve had to take offline from chasing down child sex predators, fentanyl traffickers, terrorists?” FBI Director Kash Patel questioned. “Everywhere across this country, people are popping up on social media and think that a threat to the life of the president of the United States is a joke, and they can do it because he did it.”
READ: Comey’s “86 47” Post Sparks Copycats, Strains Federal Law Enforcement Resources
Despite the official investigations and strong condemnations, Comey maintained in a May 19 interview that the probes are a “distraction” orchestrated by the Trump administration and expressed no regret for his post.
He stated his wife encouraged him to take the photo, pointing out that “86” is a restaurant term for removing an item from a menu.
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