Former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took aim at corporate media on Thursday, arguing critics either misunderstood—or deliberately ignored—the difference between his role in federal law enforcement and his work as a political commentator.
Bongino announced on Dec. 17 that he was leaving his position at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and returning to his show, The Dan Bongino Show.
In remarks made during an on-air conversation with Hannity host Sean Hannity, Bongino mocked outlets that highlighted his past political takes after his February appointment while downplaying his law-enforcement background, including time with the United States Secret Service and the New York City Police Department.
“You’re not that person anymore, are you?” Hannity asked, referring to Bongino’s previous work as a commentator.
“No,” Bongino replied, adding that media coverage treated it like a revelation that he was paid for a political commentary job. “The morons in the media were apparently unaware that I was paid for a political commentary show… This was a big scandal in the media, Dan Bongino was paid to be a political commentator.”
Bongino said that, in government, the expectations—and obligations—are fundamentally different.
“When you’re at the FBI working for the administration… it’s not about you,” he said. “I didn’t get elected president. Donald Trump did, and I am there to serve the administration and the taxpayers. End of story.”
He also pointed to a recent TV appearance as a preview of what he plans to discuss now that he’s back behind the mic. Bongino noted that during a Jan. 7 segment on Nightly Scroll with Hayley Caronia, he suggested his time in the administration left him with “a lot of stuff to talk about.”
“I’m not there to give my opinions on them,” Bongino said. “I don’t know why this was hard for… these full diaper media morons to understand… When you’re paid to do a job for the taxpayer, you serve the taxpayer. When you’re paid… to do a political commentary show, you offer political commentary.”
He added that, while in office, he felt he had to watch what he said—but that restraint is gone now.
“Now that I’m back,” he said, “I can talk like I like to talk.”
