Dan Bongino Gets Into Podcasting War With Tucker Carlson Over New Claims About Trump’s Butler Shooting

Former lawman FBI head Dan Bongino and Tucker Carlson are successful nan midst of an all-out podcast warfare complete claims astir nan investigation into nan assassination effort connected Donald Trump successful Butler, Pennsylvania.

The feud was ignited aft Carlson, a Trump loyalist-turned-fierce critic, claimed connected a podcast that Bongino told him nan president was nan 1 to unopen down nan investigation into nan shooting, which took spot at a statesmanlike run rally connected July 13, 2024.

“I cognize that Trump unopen down nan investigation into Butler,” Tucker claimed Thursday connected Mario Nawfal’s podcast. “That is simply a fact. Dan Bongino told maine that erstwhile he worked astatine nan FBI. And Dan Bongino himself was terrified erstwhile I said to him successful December.”

A visibly furious Bongino deed backmost Friday on The Dan Bongino Show and said that accusing him and Trump of a cover-up into nan president’s ain assassination effort was “seriously 1 of nan astir illusion things” he’d ever seen.

Carlson is 1 of galore MAGA figures to impeach nan Trump management of a “cover-up” without immoderate difficult grounds arsenic questions astir gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks’s motive and his governmental leanings stay unanswered.

In a last study connected nan shooting published astatine nan extremity of past year, nan FBI concluded that Crooks acted unsocial erstwhile he changeable astatine Trump, clipping nan apical of his ear, and sidesplitting protagonist Corey Comperatore. FBI Director Kash Patel said nan president was “fully briefed” and “satisfied” pinch nan report, efficaciously drafting a statement nether nan matter.

Around nan aforesaid time, Carlson claimed he exchanged matter messages pinch a “clearly terrified” Bongino, informing nan FBI lawman head that he came into possession of Crooks’s societal media posts. He said nan FBI had “lied” astir their existence.

“When I brought this accusation to his attraction and he became a different person,” Carlson said of Bongino. “He was intelligibly terrified. I didn’t get it astatine first, but he was hysterical. And ultimately, aft a agelong bid of matter exchanges, which I still have, and telephone conversations, he said, look, return it up pinch Trump,” he continued. “He’s nan 1 who unopen down nan investigation.”

Bongino said Carlson was “lying” and showed what he purported were matter messages nan brace exchanged past year.

“He doesn't realize, like, I person these texts too,” Bongino said. “I ne'er do this, but if you're going to mention to matter [allegedly] committed a crime, I'm putting retired there…”

In nan messages nan MAGA podcast big showed to his viewers, nary appeared to corroborate Carlson’s claims. The Independent has not verified nan matter messages.

Bongino besides pointed to a Fox News study from November 2025 wherever an FBI charismatic told nan outlet nan investigation into nan shooting was successful a “pending, inactive” position but nan bureau would analyse immoderate “credible leads.”

“Now he says nan investigation was unopen down,” Bongino said of Carlson. “Yet present it is connected nan grounds successful November again.”

While galore of Trump’s supporters initially viewed his endurance of nan shooting arsenic an enactment of divine intervention, right-wing influencers specified arsenic Tim Dillon and Carlson, person pushed nan unfounded mentation that nan assassination effort was “staged.”

The White House has antecedently trashed nan conspiracy theories.

“President Trump is opinionated stronger than ever arsenic he continues to ‘fight, fight, fight’ for nan American people,” a spokesperson said successful an earlier statement. “Only a fool would judge otherwise.”