In what felt like a cross between a spy thriller and a bad storage audit, Dan Bongino—now Deputy Director of the FBI and former MAGA-favorite pundit— told Fox News this week a tantalizing tidbit. According to Bongino, someone found bags of evidence allegedly tied to the James Comey era in a “hidden” area at FBI headquarters.

“I wouldn’t call it hidden, but hidden,” Bongino said cryptically during his segment on Fox & Friends, giving his conspiracy theory fans a whole lot of nothing to work with. The hosts feigned skepticism, nodding along with just enough to appear to be journalists, as the comments hung in the air like the cigar smoke of a conspiracy theory just getting lit.

“We found stuff. A lot of stuff”

Bongino didn’t exactly explain what was in the bags or why they were hidden. He did clarify they were hidden “under Jim Comey’s FBI” (like, under the building?). Nonetheless, the implication was clear: The FBI under Comey left behind some skeletons. Add to that, possibly some classified files—in a metaphorical (and perhaps literal) closet. He suggested that the discovery adds more fuel to the narrative that the FBI was a politically compromised mess.

Bongino’s comments come amid a shake-up at the Bureau. Bongino and Director Kash Patel have launched what Comey critics say is a political cleanup operation. The purported “bags in the room” are the latest trophy in this campaign.

From late-night Instagram to bureau baggage

Meanwhile, Bongino’s Fox News appearance follows a high-stakes spat over a mysterious Instagram post from Comey. Comey recently shared a photo of seashells arranged to spell “86 47.” Many interpreted it as a call to “86” (i.e., get rid of) Donald Trump, the 47th president. Not exactly subtle.

Patel was not amused. In a statement to the New York Post, Patel said the post led to a flood of copycats. “We’ve had to pull agents off of high-priority cases—child trafficking, drug smuggling—just to deal with this nonsense,” Patel said.

So yes, that’s the current state of the FBI: former directors posting cryptic seashell art, while the new leadership is treating it like a national security threat.

Comey, Patel, and Trump: a love triangle of loathing

To understand why all of this matters, you have to revisit feuds that define the Trump-FBI drama. Comey was famously fired by Trump in 2017 after refusing to pledge loyalty. He also declined to back off the Russia probe. He later called Trump “morally unfit” for office, which—shockingly—didn’t earn him an invitation back.

Patel, on the other hand, made his name in Trump-world by working to discredit the Mueller investigation and push the “deep state” narrative. Appointed as FBI Director in early 2025, Patel quickly installed allies like Bongino, who has never been shy about his disdain for Comey or the Bureau’s pre-Trump leadership.

The Bongino-Patel FBI has since gone into overdrive, reopening cold cases like the 2022 Supreme Court leak, the pipe bombs from January 6, and even the infamous White House cocaine mystery. The alleged bagged evidence may be used to fuel these probes—or at least justify them.

In a plot twist worthy of a daytime soap, Dan Bongino—the former Secret Service agent turned conservative firebrand and now FBI Deputy Director—has declared that Jeffrey Epstein did die by suicide.

Yes, you read that right. The man who once fanned the flames of Epstein conspiracy theories is now wielding a fire extinguisher.

Bongino: The evidence is “clear as day”

During a recent appearance on Fox News, Bongino revealed that the FBI possesses a video that conclusively shows Epstein was alone in his cell at the time of his death. “It’s clear as day,” he asserted, emphasizing that no one else is seen entering or exiting the cell. While the footage doesn’t capture the exact moment of death, Bongino insists it’s definitive proof against foul play.

This revelation comes as the FBI plans to release both the original and enhanced versions of the video to ensure transparency. Bongino also noted the absence of evidence—no DNA, fingerprints, audio recordings, suspects, or tips—that would suggest homicide.

MAGA Meltdown

The response from the MAGA faithful? Let’s just say it wasn’t a standing ovation. Social media erupted with accusations of betrayal, with some ers accusing Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel of being part of a cover-up. The backlash was so intense that Bongino felt compelled to clarify his stance, stating he was merely presenting facts from the available case file and remained open to reassessing the conclusion if new evidence arises.

Adding fuel to the fire, Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, criticized Bongino and Patel for affirming the suicide conclusion, arguing that Patel was neither present at the time of death nor witnessed the body or the autopsy.

The conspiracy that won’t die

Despite the official narrative, skepticism persists. The phrase “Epstein didn’t kill himself” has become a cultural meme, reflecting widespread distrust in the official of his death. Polls have shown that a significant portion of Americans believe Epstein was murdered to protect powerful individuals.

Even Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, has expressed doubts, stating from prison that she believes he was murdered. She cited the broken cameras outside his cell and the fact that he was taken off suicide watch shortly before his death as reasons for her skepticism.

But what about reports that the cameras glitched?

Bongino’s assertion that Epstein died by suicide, backed by promised forthcoming video evidence, challenges the prevailing conspiracy theories. However, given the deep-seated mistrust and the high-profile nature of Epstein’s connections, it’s unlikely to quell the speculation entirely.

As the FBI releases more information, the public will have to decide whether to accept the official narrative or continue to question the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.

For those keeping score, the conspiracy theory that once united a movement is now causing fractures within it. And in the world of political intrigue, that’s just another day at the office.

Donald Trump‘s FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino just made a bold declaration—but instead of silencing critics, he may have accidentally lit a match under the very movement that once cheered his rise.

In an X post, Bongino announced a sweeping review of unresolved federal investigations, claiming he and the director decided to re-open or intensify cases that “have garnered public interest.” These include the January 6 DC pipe bombing and the Supreme Court Dobbs leak that shook the country, and the mysterious bag of cocaine found inside the West Wing, linked in the minds of some to former President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.

Pipe bombs and cocaine — but no Epstein?

For the man who made his name as a right-wing firebrand calling out purported corruption and deep state cover-ups, Bongino’s new institutional tone feels like a betrayal to some of his most loyal followers. And they’re not being quiet about it.

One comment to Bongino’s statement didn’t hold back. The list of demands reads like a conspiracy theorist’s greatest hits, including the Epstein/Diddy lists, the REAL story of the Vegas shooting, where are all the missing kids, and who arranged to have Trump killed.

As that comment and other like it make it clear: while Bongino may be shifting focus to “official” investigations, the base is still hungry for blood, never stopping to think Bongino’s FBI isn’t investigating those cases because they’re nothing to investigate.

The Hunter MAGA link

As for Hunter, he’s long been synonymous with scandal in conservative circles. From foreign business dealings and tax controversies to the infamous laptop and substance abuse issues, the president’s son has been at the center of years of Republican outrage.

Add to that the unresolved mystery of cocaine found in the White House, discovered in July 2023 in a secure area near the Situation Room. Though no suspect was ever named, speculation ran wild, especially among those eager to tie the incident to Hunter’s past.

Bongino himself previously suggested the Biden istration wasn’t telling the full story. Bongino announcing the FBI would take another look at the cocaine in the White House suggests the Trump istration is not done scrutinizing Biden’s son.

“Epstein killed himself”—Really, Dan?

You’d think that investigating Hunter would make MAGA happy. But adding to MAGA’s newfound Bongino distrust, the deputy director recently doubled down on one hotly debated theory in modern conspiracy lore: He believes Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. That’s right—Bongino, once the go-to voice for exposing what he called the “corruption cartel,” now publicly backs the official narrative on Epstein’s death. It’s a stunning reversal that has even his staunchest MAGA allies asking: What happened to Dan?

MAGA’s patience is wearing thin

Bongino, now part of the system he once railed against, is discovering the hard truth: populist loyalty is fickle. Many of his ers believe the FBI is still shielding elites, whether it’s Hunter skating by on drug and tax charges, or the total blackout on Epstein’s powerful client list.

The Epstein case in particular remains radioactive. Despite years of media attention, the public still hasn’t seen the full scope of Epstein’s associates—famous, wealthy, and politically connected figures alleged to be involved in a child trafficking ring. Bongino’s claim that Epstein’s suicide in a federal prison was just that—a suicide—has only added fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile, theories of attempted Trump assassinations—however wild—are gaining traction in the vacuum left by what many see as federal inaction. Instead, they see a man who just might be going soft.

Bongino says the FBI is refocusing its investigative power. But the people who helped build his platform aren’t interested in procedural justice. They want fireworks. They want the Epstein list. And they want the truth about Trump—whatever that means to them. The message from MAGA is loud and clear: “Dan, don’t go D.C. on us.”

If you thought the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories had been put to rest, think again. During a recent appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Kash Patel, the current FBI Director, and Dan Bongino, Donald Trump‘s current Deputy Director of the FBI, resurrected the chaos, offering their “expert” take on the disgraced financier’s death.

Spoiler alert: They think he died by suicide. And MAGA-world? Not happy. The Trump officials told Maria Bartiromo that after reviewing what they claim to be the whole file, they’ve concluded that the notorious sex offender didn’t die at the hands of some shadowy cabal but rather took his own life in his Manhattan jail cell.

‘I’ve seen the whole file’

“I’ve seen the whole file,” Patel declared, as if dropping a bombshell. Bongino chimed in with his signature bravado, insisting that “the evidence points to suicide.” They both seemed pretty confident, flashing that classic Fox News certainty as if auditioning for a true-crime podcast.

In case you’ve managed to forget the scandal that rocked the world, here’s a quick recap: Prison officials found Epstein, a billionaire financier and convicted sex offender, dead in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Officially ruled a suicide, his death sparked a million conspiracy theories faster than you can say “Clinton body count.”

The security cameras malfunctioned. The guards fell asleep. Epstein himself seemed smug and unconcerned. Oh, and did we mention some of the world’s most powerful people were tied to Epstein, from Bill Clinton to Prince Andrew and even Donald Trump? Naturally, the internet went wild, weaving tales of sinister plots, assassinations, and secret societies.

You’d think that when Trump’s guys go on Fox News and declare Epstein’s death a suicide, MAGA diehards would fall in line, right? Wrong.

“F—ing sell-outs”

Social media exploded with disbelief. Loyal Trump loyalists flocked to X and Truth Social, accusing Patel and Bongino of either being naive or outright traitors. Comments ranged from “How much did the Deep State pay you to say that?” to “I thought you were patriots!”

The hashtags #EpsteinDidntKillHimself and #FakeNews exploded again, as if time had reversed and we were back in 2019. MAGA influencers openly accused Patel and Bongino of being part of a cover-up, proving that nothing gets conspiracy theorists more fired up than contradicting their pet theory.

MAGA conspiracy theory influencer Mindy MF Robinson went two for two with this post: “Epstein didn’t kill himself, and the Las Vegas sho*ting was committed and covered up by our own damn government.”

Sure, the Epstein case is as fishy as a dockside seafood stand, but there’s plenty of reason to believe he actually did take his own life. Epstein had just been denied bail, his reputation was in tatters, and he faced spending the rest of his life in prison. He was also notoriously narcissistic—exactly the kind of guy who’d rather end it all than face public humiliation.

MAGA is now roasting Patel and Bongino, both high-ranking officials with strong opinions, for merely suggesting what the medical examiner concluded years ago. For a faction of the internet that thrives on suspicion, the idea of Epstein dying by suicide just doesn’t cut it.

“Not buying it. Never will.”

Patel and Bongino X backlash highlights a bigger issue: MAGA-world’s insatiable appetite for conspiracies. And no amount of logic or evidence will shake a theory loose once it’s embedded. In a twist of irony, MAGA followers have thrown Trump’s own FBI loyalists under the conspiracy bus for daring to side with official findings.

The Takeaway: Truth Hurts

It’s wild how the same people who proclaim “facts over feelings” are now melting down because their favorite talking heads just said something factual. Love it or hate it, the truth doesn’t always fit the narrative. For now, it seems Patel and Bongino are learning that the hard way.

Patel and Bongino probably thought they were dropping a truth bomb. Instead, they stumbled into a minefield. Maybe next time they’ll think twice before challenging one of the internet’s most sacred conspiracies.

Trump’s latest hire into his cabinet and inner circle is yet another controversial figure that has the nation baffled. After hiring former federal prosecutor and conspiracy theorist Kash Patel as the director of the FBI, he has now hired anti-vax podcaster Dan Bongino as Patel’s deputy.

So naturally, the controversial conspiracy theorist, known for deliberately picking fights with Stephen King on X, is now a subject of curiosity for all Americans – whether they his appointment as FBI director or not.

One such pressing question about him – the nature of his roots.

What is Dan Bongino’s ethnicity?

Among everything we need to know about Bongino, one pressing question that has come up repeatedly is surrounding his ethnicity. Considering his ethnic ambiguity, there have been speculations that he is probably Black or Hispanic. Interestingly, he is hardly considered Caucasian.  

According to his Wikipedia page, he is “of Italian descent,” but the podcaster has always been tight-lipped about his childhood. He was born in Queens but his parents divorced when he was young. According to his memoir, Life Inside the Bubble, Bongino’s mother, Judy, started dating a man who would physically abuse him and his brother. With the help of his biological father, he was able to move out with his brother and get an education. However, Bongino has never shared details on which of his parents he got his Italian heritage from. 

People speculate that he might have some Black ancestry because of his skin tone, which is emphasized by things like his choice of haircut. However, others have been quick to point out that it is not uncommon for Italians, specifically southern Italians, to have darker skin. With the information available, the only confirmation we have about Bongino’s ethnicity is his Italian heritage.

What can be detailed with concerning accuracy is his tumultuous history.

The controversial Dan Bongino

Bongino is a former police officer and secret service agent, politician, and now, the deputy director of the FBI. He is also a political commentator, through his podcast, The Dan Bongino Show, and his former Fox News segment, Unfiltered with Dan Bongino. 

If you haven’t heard of his shows, you might have heard of his comments in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bongino went on record to oppose the vaccines, while itting he was vaccinated, confusing his followers. He infamously gave his employers at the time, Cumulus Media, an ultimatum – they could either recall the mandate that required all working employees to be vaccinated, or he would quit. 

During his time in the Secret Service, he worked in the Presidential Protection Division during George W. Bush’s second term and Barack Obama’s first. After leaving the Secret Service, he decided to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland in 2012 but lost. He tried his hand at politics again in 2014, this time for the U.S. House of Representatives. However, he lost that race too. His final attempt at politics was for the U.S. Senate in Florida in 2015, which he lost in the primaries. 

In 2019, he debuted Bongino Report, a show that was in direct competition with Matt Drudge’s Drudge Report, and gained an audience quickly. In 2021, his podcast was signed on by Cumulus Media and, later that year, he began his Fox News segment. Bongino was banned from YouTube in 2022 after his videos were flagged for questioning the mask mandates during the pandemic. His podcast, The Dan Bongino Show, can be found on Rumble.

Another week has gone by in Donald Trump’s America, and it’s becoming crystal clear that this istration learned some serious lessons about being proactive. Trump’s last cabinet was filled with plenty of loyalists, but stacked among the sycophants were a who’s who of established politicians and civil servants keen to serve the country, not the president. This time around, Trump’s team is axing everyone who won’t get in line. From independent watchdogs and nuclear specialists to intelligence officials and park rangers, it’s “my way or the highway” in Trump land — but with Elon Musk around, it’s hard to know just whose way we’re going.

One thing’s for sure: the billionaires are all on board. They’re quietly axing DEI programs and not-so-quietly transforming papers like the Washington Post into their own personal propaganda machines as the dollar signs shine through their soulless eyes. At least we have Americans like Adam Kinzinger to take up the mantle of speaking truth to power. Just like long-time Musk hater Azealia Banks, he’s more than willing to stoop to Trump’s childish level. It’s truly magical to have someone like Kinzinger say, “Hey, so this is insane,” as Trump employs actual podcasters to work for the FBI and his right-hand men throw Nazi salute after Nazi salute just to test the waters.

Canadians across the border are fed up with Trump’s constant taunts, refusing to buy American and even pushing for the government to nix Musk’s citizenship. Allies around the world are showing they have no tolerance this time around, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling out Trump’s lies on live television, prompting the septuagenarian to pout like a schoolboy. But don’t feel bad for ‘ol Don. History has shown that the man doesn’t understand metaphors. Despite the valiant attempts of the U.S. Army Corps to convey the heavy-handed messages of Les Misérables, Trump was as impacted as a Republican asked to show empathy toward trans people.

But hey, at least eggs are only $20 a carton.

Pot, meet Kettle. You’re now heading the FBI together.

It is said that Kash Patel, the new Trump-appointed FBI Director who will also head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), intended not to break FBI tradition – and trample on basic good judgment – and promised to appoint someone with experience (unlike himself) within the Bureau to be its deputy director.

Psych! As has been the norm in this second istration, instead of someone with proven competence, we got a partisan Trump loyalist who is all too happy parroting MAGA conspiracy theories and gets way too aroused by the sheer idea of absolute power: Dan Bongino.

Exactly what we needed: more one-track MAGA militants in positions of power in the American government, whose moral comes guide them wherever Trump’s chubby orange finger points. In a 2021 New Yorker profile that now reads in a painfully ironic manner, Evan Osnos writes: “Pete Hegseth, a fellow Fox News host who served in the National Guard, told me, “I carried a rifle in the military, and now I get to serve in information warfare.” Bongino, he added, “is one of our generals.”

As another Trump “general,” Bongino has dedicated the past years to pushing conspiracy theories about the “anti-Trump” “deep state” and the 2020 election being “rigged.” There is no escape from the heavy irony that the podcaster wrote a book called Follow the Money, which feels like a discount, propaganda-based, misinformation-ridden, far-right version of the invaluable Manufacture of Consent. Bongino’s big boss is a billionaire who is hand-in-hand with the world’s richest man so, I guess we only “follow the money” if we can someway, somehow, blame it on Democrats, minorities, and now, Ukraine too.

Bongino and Patel go together like Beavis and Butt-Head, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, or SpongeBob and Patrick. You can count on both to ask “How far?” upon being commanded to overstep the bounds of legality for the sake of the Trump agenda.

We’re one month and two Nazi salutes into the Trump istration

It seems those Democrat challenges for Republicans to indulge in — as the right sees it — Elon Musk’s unfortunate and enthusiastic wave have really hit home. Average Trump-thumpers across the country are throwing out Sieg Heil salutes to prove it’s “no big deal” only to lose their jobs, but Trump’s cronies miraculously weasel out of consequences every time. Steve Bannon is just the latest henchman to test the boundaries of tolerance by throwing out a half-hearted Nazi salute while speaking at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference, signaling to the world that fascism is A-OK in America.

Two Trump allies throwing out the notorious salute isn’t many, but any red-blooded American knows that the only thing worse than one Nazi is two. They’re like an infection, one best wiped out — or punched right in the face if my days of frequenting punk rock shows are any guideline.

Bannon tossed the salute near the end of his speech after calling for Trump to make an unconstitutional bid for a third term and telling MAGA to “fight.” The human pimple didn’t seem to relish throwing Hitler’s favorite hello as much as Musk, which might actually make it worse. If you’re going to sell out your country to one of the most anti-American movements this nation has ever seen, at least do it with your chest.

The audience may have been less enthusiastic for Bannon than it was for the Tesla CEO, but acceptance of the movement and everything it stands for is beyond evident. We’d like to remind our readers of the Paradox of Tolerance here: if we tolerate those who are intolerant, we risk enabling them. And if those intolerant people ever make it to positions of power, they will obliterate those they oppose. If you need any evidence, 1930s is a great place to start.

To get the rest of the tea, which this week includes a wave of verbal slap-downs from Adam Kinzinger, Trump’s uncomfortable obsession with world leaders, and the slow strangulation of the Fourth Estate, be sure to sign up for WGTC’s They Said What?! Newsletter.

Dan Bongino, the law enforcement officer who became a secret agent, then turned to far-right conservative podcasting, tried three times and failed to get into Congress, and who, like Pete Hegseth, also got media projection on Fox News, is now the appointed FBI Deputy Director.

Who appointed him? None other than Kash Patel, the author of the indoctrinating children’s book, The Plot Against the King, who’s now head of the federal agency. Coming on the back of Patel’s narrow Senate confirmation, Bongino’s appointment to a position for which he has no experience whatsoever – something unprecedented in FBI history – bears less of a shocking effect. Judging by how both these men are nose-deep in the MAGA alternate reality and its associated conspiracy theories, expecting Patel not to appoint someone like Bongino would be comparable to expecting the Mad Hatter not to choose the March Hare as his right hand.

pic.twitter.com/8cLhZ3b5JH

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) February 25, 2025

Here we are: Welcome to Trump’s Wonderlessland, where every single appointee for positions of power understands that the slightest slip of unconditional loyalty leads to heads falling off – only Queen of Billionaires Donald Trump‘s catchphrase is “you’re fired!” rather than “off with your head!”

Checks? Balances? Who? Never met them.

If you were to ask the most prolific left-wing podcasters, what would they say “is the only thing that matters?” First off, narrowing “what matters” to only one thing is fallacious reasoning; it’s stretching a false dichotomy to prioritize one thing to the exclusion of everything else. But, fine, let’s for a brief moment – unless we want to fry what may remain of our neurons – indulge Dan Bongino and the question he poses in the clip above.

Off the top of one’s head, if left-leaning political commentators were forced to select “one thing” that matters, they would respond something along the lines of: universal healthcare, a livable minimum wage, affordable housing, eradicating homelessness, solving climate change, curbing gun violence, minimizing wealth inequality, preventing children from going hungry at school, preserving the actual democratic values embedded into the Constitution… In short, all that nonsensical claptrap leftists keep rambling about.

If you answered any of the items listed above, Bongino would likely cackle in your face, before glaring at you with those menacingly soulless eyes – which still have nothing on Patel’s death stare – and yell “That’s a good one!” with all the charm of a cyclops who’s just slaughtered a village. Because, how could one be so shortsighted as to forget the most important thing, the very same thing that generations upon generations of TV and movie – even Shakespearean – villains have been reminding us all our lives? Power is, of course, the single most important thing. Silly us for thinking that guaranteeing every citizen reaches the bare minimum threshold of rights and necessities essential to living a dignified existence was remotely relevant.

The Don Bongino Show clip above is dated from May 2024. One can reasonably assume that this stance which presupposes power is always bad in the hands of anyone who isn’t Trump or loyal to him (but never vice versa), is what has earned Bongino his position, and not with the merit of decades of experience of his predecessors. He fits the quintessential stereotype of the far-right MAGA pundit who repeats the 2020 election was “rigged” like a mantra and blindly advocates for a billionaire felon to “clean the house” – one can speculate how his and others’ constant spiel may have helped add fuel to the fire that ultimately led to Jan. 6. Perhaps hundreds of federal employees have something to say about Trump’s (and Elon Musk’s) recent house-cleaning duties?

In a 2021 New Yorker profile, the author writes: “No one in American media has profited more from the Trump era and its aftermath than Bongino.” Trump could pull a toddler move and smear feces on the wall and Bongino would aggressively yell at you that the surface was immaculately clean until you nodded along. And he’s told you why: Power matters the most to him. And now, he certainly cannot complain that neither he nor Trump suffers from a lack of it.

There are loads of jobs that don’t require any previous experience to perform, but deputy director of the FBI is absolutely not among them. That’s a job that requires real skill, tenure in relevant positions, and a close relationship with fellow FBI agents.

Dan Bongino, the man tapped to fill this position, has none of the above. Traditionally, the role of FBI deputy director goes to someone with years of experience in the FBI, but Bongino’s never served the agency. He’s never worked in a relevant field, unless you’re counting his tenure as a Secret Service agent, and he’s already an unpopular pick, but that won’t stop the Trump train from rolling.

Which lands us with a curious and concerning new FBI deputy director. He’s stepping into an incredibly important job — one with both domestic and international responsibilities — but Bongino’s background doesn’t paint a pretty picture. He sure doesn’t seem to be equipped to handle the position, but maybe there’s more to the firebrand podcaster than meets they eye.

Who is Dan Bongino?

Dan Bongino’s name likely isn’t familiar to anyone outside of niche, right-wing circles. But among his audience — which is ittedly quite large — he’s practically a superstar.

The 50-year-old got his start as a police officer, working for the NYPD for four years, between 1995 and 1999. He then shifted to the Secret Service, which he served for a solid decade in various roles, even protecting then-President Barack Obama for several years.

In 2011, he left the service to make a run for the U.S. Senate. He was criticized, at the time, by his fellow agents, many of whom felt he leaned on his time in the Service to add weight to his Senate run, which he ultimately lost. He also lost two subsequent runs, both for the House of Representatives, in 2014 and 2016.

Somewhere in there, Bongino made the shift into entertainment, ing several talk shows — like the Sean Hannity Show — as a guest host, and eventually launching his own. That’s largely what he’s been up to over the last half-decade or so, but it seems those political dreams never died. And when Donald Trump appointed Kash Patel as FBI director, Bongino finally got his shot at ing the political arena — no elections necessary.

Is Dan Bongino qualified to be FBI deputy director?

Dan Bongino is distinctly, inarguably, under-qualified to be FBI deputy director. He’s not even eligible to be an FBI agent, let alone deputy director, and since most historical deputy directors served in the agency before earning a promotion, that’s quite telling.

On the FBI’s website, it lays out some of the requirements for an FBI agent, and those requirements make it clear that “to be eligible for employment,” applicants must have adhered to certain standards ahead of their shift to the FBI. Listed among them is “No engagement with organizations designed to overthrow the U.S. government,” and that, all by itself, may have disqualified Bongino from the role.

Bongino was listed among the top five “superspreaders of election misinformation” by human rights group Avaaz following Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, which Bongino contested. He, like Trump, egged on theories that the election was “stolen,” contributing in part to the 2021 storming of the Capitol.

That’s not the only misinformation Bongino has spread from his platform — his podcast, The Dan Bongino Show, is among the 10 most popular podcasts in the country — but its among the most damaging. He’s also been a vocal opponent of the agency he’s been tapped to help lead, blasting it as “lost, broken” and “irredeemably corrupt,” back in 2022.

In all, Bongino is a typical Trump appointee. He’s an ardent, unabashed er of Trump, he’s an election denier, a critic of mask mandates, and he’s claimed that his “entire life right now is about owning the libs.” That certainly seems to have been a success, but it’s yet to be determined whether or not his appointment as FBI deputy director will be similarly successful.

Washington is positively aflutter with news that Donald Trump has appointed Dan Bongino within the FBI, but his past exchange with Stephen King has also got people talking.

In case you missed it, Donald Trump recently named Bongino — a far-right podcaster who has never served in the bureau — as the next deputy director of the FBI. Bongino is a former New York police officer and Secret Service agent, and he once provided security to Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama. Beyond that, though, he is far better known as conservative political commentator who vocally ed Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

I thought Don Bongino being appointed as deputy director of the FBI was a joke. A podcaster being his only qualification. We have to laugh. pic.twitter.com/7Bx0yuCARz

— Latino Loverboy (@y2kRawr) February 24, 2025

Bongino will serve as the deputy director of the law enforcement agency under newly confirmed director Kash Patel, who was already a red flag appointment given his belief in the so-called “deep state.” Of course, we know by now that those in Trump’s cabinet take the word “qualified” as more of a suggestion, since it’s composed of everyone from Fox News hosts to anti-vaxxers, television doctors and, perhaps most bizarrely, a WWE exec. 

Naturally, Trump’s eyebrow-raising choice for the FBI’s deputy director launched an almost immediate search into Bongino’s past, including a terse tit-for-tat he engaged in with King back in 2023. At that time, the author hadn’t yet departed from social media platform X (he’s back now!), and it was still his go-to site for searing takedowns of Trump and those in his orbit, which is where Bongino comes in. 

Biden is a disgrace to humankind. An embarrassment to the human race in every respect.

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) May 10, 2023

The Trump loyalist he is, Bongino wrote on X that former president Joe Biden “is a disgrace to humankind” and “an embarrassment to the human race in every respect.” Not missing a beat, King quickly swooped in to deservedly bring Bongino down a few notches, since there’s certainly no deficit of straight male podcast hosts. “But he’s got a real job,” King replied in reference to Biden, “not a podcast.” 

Going toe-to-toe with a world-renowned author is no small feat, which is probably why Bongino resorted to playground insults in his response. “Millions of listeners a day on a podcast while you’re watching porn in your momma’s basement yearning for the days that people actually gave a s*** about your dumb a***,” Bongino wrote, possessing the vocabulary level of his boss. 

Seriously, I half-expected the word “bigly” to show up somewhere in there, but Bongino instead concluded the message by telling King, who has a net worth of $500 million, to “get a job, loser.” In the wake of Bongino’s FBI appointment, King appears to have deleted his half of the X exchange, but his return to the platform earlier this month has still delivered the much-needed dose of reality we all need in these times. 

Marking his return, King fired off a searing message to Trump, describing him as “Putin-loving” and “traitorous” and adding to a long string of pointed X posts about the president and his bestie Elon Musk. Throughout the years, King has used the billionaire’s platform to call out Musk’s lies, remind us that Trump is a felon, and describe the President as a “dumpster fire.”

It clearly fell on deaf ears, since Trump’s appointment of Bongino is yet another sign that his brazenness has gone unchecked. What’s next, Kanye West for The National Endowment for the Arts? Actually, I shouldn’t have even put that into the universe.

Stephen King has been busy lately – with the release of his book You Like It Darker, attempting to solve a decades-old problem, and finding the hidden gems of the streaming world. Amid this hectic schedule, a crucial part of his life slipped into the shadows, until recently when the celebrated author finally noticed its absence and was instantly concerned he somehow missed the completion of his top goal.

Though he can now take a big breath of relief since it was probably just X (formerly known as Twitter) keeping King away from unnecessary drama (possibly because his latest favorite has riled up enough chaos on its own?).

The drama in question is Dan Bongino, the conservative political commentator and radio show host, and the concern that had been eating King alive was being unaware of being blocked by Bongino without the author even knowing that he successfully frustrated the Donald Trump er to his maximum limit.

The feud between Bongino and King is as old as… well, that can’t be said for certain since the MAGA member has been spewing some really nonsensical chatter for a while now. But his proper beef with the Carrie writer started garnering attention back in early 2023. After becoming infuriated by being made aware of why he probably shouldn’t try to insult President Joe Biden, he tried to undermine King by calling him a “loser” and other colorful words. It has been “on” since then, a to-and-fro that took up a pattern after King took to replying to Bongino’s mundane attempts to make everyone (and himself) believe that Biden is the “worst president in the history of the galaxy” and him coming up with a comeback.

It had been a while since King uttered the ex-Fox News host’s name or the latter came up with a lame rebuttal. Bongino has blocked a lot of people on the platform for irking him to a point where his shaky ego can’t take it.

Clearly, the evident badge of honor one can win by getting on Bongino’s nerves is being blocked by the said “snowflake.” You can see why King would be worried about missing out on it since, judging by his words, his regular rival’s posts had stopped cropping up in his feed. But he has nothing to be worried about as since King is interested, but not interested enough to manually check Bongino’s profile, the latter took it upon himself to ease his concerns.

Yes, King needs to understand that as much as he misses his verbal spars with Bongino, he is busy trying to a man found guilty of fraud, liable for sexual abuse, and who is, by his own ission, a class-A pervert. That’s bound to take up all the free time he has.

For many years, Dan Bongino was an annoying conservative voice on Fox News, spreading misinformation and feeding conspiracy theories. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, he went away.

Bongino was a police officer in New York City before being recruited for the U.S. Secret Service, where he served from 1999 to 2011. As a Secret Service agent, he eventually ed the President’s security detail, working in the White House during the second mandate of George W. Bush and the first mandate of Barack Obama.

After his experience in the White House, Bogino abandoned the Secret Service and used the organization’s name to run an unsuccessful political campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland. When that bore no fruits, Bongino wrote a memoir of his time as an agent, Life Inside the Bubble, and slowly began to build his career as a mediatized paranoid.

Bongino became a radio host and television commentator for local and national political programs, always speaking in favor of the most deranged side of any discussion. Unsurprisingly, Bongino was quickly snatched by Fox News, who enjoyed the audience the commentator brought by fabricating lies about election manipulation and public health measures against COVID-19.

The peak of Bongino’s Fox News career came with his own weekend program, Unfiltered With Dan Bongino, a platform he used to circumvent several social media bans caused by the constant spread of misinformation, including a permanent ban on YouTube. Unfiltered With Dan Bongino aired from 2021 up until 2023, when Bongino cut ties with Fox News.

What’s the context of Dan Bongino’s Fox News Departure?

Officially, Bongino and Fox News parted ways amicably after they could not agree on for renegotiating their contract. Bongino thanked Fox News for their over the years, while the channel said it was grateful for the commentator’s work on the company.

The timing of the split, however, coincides with Fox News being held able for spreading misinformation about the 2020 U.S. elections, which resulted in Fox Corp. agreeing to pay $787.5 million to Dominion Voting Systems in an unprecedented settlement. Of course, Bongino was one of Fox News’ leading voices when it came to amplifying conspiracy theories.

Losing the Fox News stage was undoubtedly a blow to Bongino’s career, but the commentator is still determined to find new ways to spread chaos through fake information. That’s why Bongino keeps amassing followers on social networks and trying to launch new radio programs when he is not engaging in hilarious feuds with Stephen King.

As a very active social media presence, Stephen King has a certain set of tropes that he tends to adhere to on the Twitter circuit. Not to say he’s predictable, but you can largely predict what he’s going to do whenever he hops onto the bird app to share his latest inner monologue with the world.

It’s either going to be the hearty recommendation of a film or television project, a scathing takedown of Donald Trump and the rest of his Republican cohorts who voice sentiments the author refuses to agree with, or a generally random aside that comes straight from his brain in completely unfiltered fashion.

However, a new contender recently entered the arena, and his name is Dan Bongino. Having initially caught King’s attention when he urged the exceedingly wealthy and phenomenally successful author to “get a job,” the two have been bickering back-and-forth ever since.

The latest twist in the tale saw Bongino rail against sex education in schools, and his repeated – and completely oblivious – use of certain terminology caught King’s eye, allowing him to swoop in with a borderline murderous takedown.

The easiest way for Bongino to vanish into the ether of irrelevance would be for King to just start ignoring him completely, but that doesn’t seem to be on the cards. On the plus side, the entertainment value is off the charts, with the conservative commentator regularly having his ass handed to him on a silver-tongued platter by the leegendary purveyor of all things spooky.