In a stunning revelation Thursday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino disclosed that a concealed room at FBI headquarters recently yielded materials dating back to the tenure of former FBI Director James Comey — materials previously unknown to current leadership.

“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 during a May 29 appearance.

The discovery comes as the agency redirects its focus to internal investigations amid growing concerns over politicized behavior during past leadership. Bongino emphasized the difficulties of the declassification process, explaining that not all of the recovered information falls under the FBI’s sole authority.

“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,” he explained.

According to Bongino, some of the documents had bypassed standard FBI archiving procedures entirely. “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,” he said.

Though the deputy director did not elaborate on the specific content of the recovered materials, his remarks marked a sharp rebuke of Comey’s leadership — a tenure that ended during President Donald Trump’s first term amid mounting allegations of misconduct and political bias.

The interview was sparked by a question regarding a controversial Instagram post recently shared by Comey. Earlier this month, the former FBI director posted an image of seashells arranged to spell out “8647,” accompanied by the caption, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Many in the Trump administration saw it as a cryptic and ominous message.

The number "86" is widely understood, including by Merriam-Webster and Collins Dictionary, as slang for eliminating or executing. The number "47" is a clear reference to President Trump, who is expected to become the 47th president following his 2024 reelection campaign.

President Trump did not mince words when reacting to the post. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant—that meant assassination,” he told Fox News last week. “Comey knew exactly what that meant.”

Comey, who recently released a crime novel and continues to use media platforms to promote himself, attempted to deflect blame, telling MSNBC on May 20: “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 claimed the photo was taken at the request of his wife.

However, FBI Director Kash Patel isn’t buying the innocence narrative. During a Fox News segment Wednesday, Patel revealed that Comey’s post has triggered a rash of copycat threats against President Trump.

“Do you know how many copycats we’ve had to investigate as a result of that beachside venture from the former director?” Patel asked. “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 a May 15 public statement, Patel confirmed that agents interviewed Comey and verified that the message was “directed at President Trump.” He noted that the FBI is cooperating with the U.S. Secret Service and Director Sean Curran to assess potential threats.

“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.”

As reported by The Epoch Times, President Trump has survived four known assassination attempts — two of which occurred in the last year alone.