FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Thursday that his office uncovered evidence from former FBI Director James Comey’s tenure in a room that had been “hidden from us,” as the bureau has been forced to reallocate resources amid ongoing internal investigations.
“I wouldn’t call it hidden, but hidden from us at least and not mentioned to us, and then we found stuff in there and a lot of it’s from the Comey-era, and we are working our damndest right now to declassify,” Bongino told Fox News on May 29.
He added: “I totally understand people saying, ‘Well, do it now.’ The process is [that] not all information is ours to declassify; some is other intelligence agencies, it’s not—we literally can’t do it.”
“Once that gets done and that gets out there, and you read some of the stuff, we found that … was not processed through the normal procedure, digitizing it, putting it in FBI records. We found it in bags hiding under Jim Comey’s FBI, and you’re going to be stunned,” Bongino said.
Bongino did not disclose specifics about what was found but took the opportunity to criticize Comey, who was dismissed during Trump’s first term. His remarks came in response to a Fox News anchor’s question referencing earlier comments from FBI Director Kash Patel about a social media post made by Comey.
The fired FBI director drew attention earlier this month after posting an image to Instagram showing seashells arranged to spell “8647,” accompanied by the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Some administration officials believe the message was aimed at President Donald Trump.
The term “86,” originally from restaurant and hospitality jargon, generally means to remove, reject, or eliminate someone or something, according to Merriam-Webster. Collins Dictionary further notes that it can also imply killing or executing a person. The number “47” is commonly understood to refer to Trump, the 47th president of the United States, the Epoch Times reported.
The president said the message was intended as a call to assassinate him and told Fox News last week that Comey “knew exactly what that meant,” referring to the “8647” in Comey’s post. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant—that meant assassination.”
The former FBI director, who has had a tense relationship with Trump and recently released a crime-themed novel on May 21, denied in media appearances that his post carried any malicious intent.
“I regret the distraction and the controversy around it. But again, it’s hard to have regret about something that, even in hindsight, looks to me to be totally innocent,” he told MSNBC on May 20.
He also claimed that his wife asked him to take a picture of the seashell formation.
In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said he was forced to reassign agents from other investigations and responsibilities to address what he described as Comey-inspired copycat threats against Trump.
“Do you know how many copycats we’ve had to investigate as a result of that beachside venture from the former director?” Patel told the outlet. “Do you know how many agents I’ve had to take offline from chasing down child sex predators, fentanyl traffickers, terrorists, because everywhere across this country, people are popping up on social media?”
In response to Comey’s Instagram image, Patel previously said in a social media post on May 15 that agents interviewed the former director, adding that the message was “directed at President Trump.”
“We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director [Sean] Curran,” Patel said. “Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters, and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”
Trump has been the target of four publicly known assassination attempts, including two within the past year, the Epoch Times noted.