Former FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano didn’t hold back during an interview Monday on Chicago’s Morning Answer, offering a blistering critique of former FBI Director James Comey while cautiously defending the new leadership team under Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
Former FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano didn’t hold back during an interview Monday on Chicago’s Morning Answer, offering a blistering critique of former FBI Director James Comey while cautiously defending the new leadership team under Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
Gagliano joined hosts Dan Proft and Jeanne Ives, who was filling in for Amy Jacobson, for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on FBI transparency, lingering distrust around past agency scandals, and the agency’s response to recent incidents, including a bombing at a California fertility clinic by a self-proclaimed efilist — a person who believes sentient life should be eradicated.
Proft and Ives opened the discussion by expressing frustration with the perceived slow pace of transparency from the FBI, particularly regarding the Epstein files, the Covenant School shooter’s manifesto, and the Biden-era assassination attempts. Gagliano acknowledged the concern but urged patience for the new leadership, explaining that reforming the FBI’s culture and navigating the Department of Justice’s oversight will take time.
While acknowledging past abuses and failures, Gagliano pushed back on calls for wholesale cultural change, instead advocating for a return to the FBI’s traditional, apolitical values. He said he believed most current and former FBI agents welcomed such a restoration and were eager to see the bureau return to nonpartisan law enforcement rooted in the rule of law.
However, his sharpest words were saved for Comey. Calling him the “most moralistic, sanctimonious, narcissistic, hypocrite in history,” Gagliano said Comey’s tenure had left a deep stain on the agency’s reputation. He criticized Comey’s public behavior since leaving office, including his media tour and book promotion, and blasted his decision to leak memos through an intermediary rather than directly.
Gagliano recounted how many inside the bureau initially gave Comey the benefit of the doubt, only to be disappointed by what they later learned. He described Comey’s 2017 firing as a turning point, revealing a self-promoter more concerned with personal image than public service.
Addressing public distrust, Gagliano pointed to the FBI’s historically low approval rating and said the agency’s future depends on regaining public confidence by strictly following evidence and avoiding political bias. He expressed optimism that Patel and Bongino understood this challenge and were working toward restoring credibility.
Throughout the interview, the conversation highlighted the broader tension between the need for accountability over past misconduct and the hope that new leadership can turn the page without becoming mired in bureaucratic inertia. For Gagliano, the key lies in returning to the agency’s founding mission, unclouded by politics or personal ambition.
Gagliano joined hosts Dan Proft and Jeanne Ives, who was filling in for Amy Jacobson, for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on FBI transparency, lingering distrust around past agency scandals, and the agency’s response to recent incidents, including a bombing at a California fertility clinic by a self-proclaimed efilist — a person who believes sentient life should be eradicated.
Proft and Ives opened the discussion by expressing frustration with the perceived slow pace of transparency from the FBI, particularly regarding the Epstein files, the Covenant School shooter’s manifesto, and the Biden-era assassination attempts. Gagliano acknowledged the concern but urged patience for the new leadership, explaining that reforming the FBI’s culture and navigating the Department of Justice’s oversight will take time.
While acknowledging past abuses and failures, Gagliano pushed back on calls for wholesale cultural change, instead advocating for a return to the FBI’s traditional, apolitical values. He said he believed most current and former FBI agents welcomed such a restoration and were eager to see the bureau return to nonpartisan law enforcement rooted in the rule of law.
However, his sharpest words were saved for Comey. Calling him the “most moralistic, sanctimonious, narcissistic, hypocrite in history,” Gagliano said Comey’s tenure had left a deep stain on the agency’s reputation. He criticized Comey’s public behavior since leaving office, including his media tour and book promotion, and blasted his decision to leak memos through an intermediary rather than directly.
Gagliano recounted how many inside the bureau initially gave Comey the benefit of the doubt, only to be disappointed by what they later learned. He described Comey’s 2017 firing as a turning point, revealing a self-promoter more concerned with personal image than public service.
Addressing public distrust, Gagliano pointed to the FBI’s historically low approval rating and said the agency’s future depends on regaining public confidence by strictly following evidence and avoiding political bias. He expressed optimism that Patel and Bongino understood this challenge and were working toward restoring credibility.
Throughout the interview, the conversation highlighted the broader tension between the need for accountability over past misconduct and the hope that new leadership can turn the page without becoming mired in bureaucratic inertia. For Gagliano, the key lies in returning to the agency’s founding mission, unclouded by politics or personal ambition.