Dan Bongino, Matt Gaetz trade blows after former’s departure from FBI

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Dan Bongino tore into former Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on Tuesday after Gaetz taunted Bongino over his previous unsuccessful campaigns for elected office.

Bongino, who announced his departure from the FBI in December, lost a primary election for a House of Representatives seat in Florida in 2016 after he unsuccessfully ran for Senate and a House seat in Maryland as a candidate aligned with the Tea Party, according to Ballotpedia. Bongino took aim at Trump adminsitration critics who he described as “black-pillers, life-losers, grifters and bums” that were acting in bad faith before Gaetz posted on X, asking Grok to describe Bongino’s electoral history.

“Maybe if I spent more time at shady parties with monied insiders I would’ve won. I heard you’d know a bit about that,” Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, fired back. “You’ve always been a dick by the way. Grifting off your daddy like a suckling little doggie. When I first met you in the panhandle I knew you were a piece of shit. It’s written all over that phony face of yours.”

One America News Network fired a producer on Gaetz’s show for posting an antisemitic cartoon created with artificial intelligence in November.

President Donald Trump announced former Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi of Florida as his pick for attorney general in November 2024 after Gaetz, his initial pick, withdrew from consideration for the position after allegations of sexual misconduct resurfaced via a House Ethics Committee report following Gaetz’s resignation from the House of Representatives. The Biden administration Justice Department did not charge Gaetz in connection with the allegations.

“In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated – even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years,” Gaetz posted on X after the House Ethics Committee voted to release the report. “I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court – which is why no such claim was ever made in court.”

“My 30’s were an era of working very hard – and playing hard too,” Gaetz continued. “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.”

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