Incoming FBI deputy director Dan Bongino gave a tearful farewell on the final episode of his right-wing podcast Friday, vowing to “put aside” politics in his new role — but still previewing an insurgent tenure at the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
As the video feed faded to black, white text filled the screen.
“The FBI doesn’t know what’s coming,” it read. “Cutsie time is f***ing over.”
Through his media career, Bongino has amassed an entrepreneurial portfolio worth tens of millions of dollars — one that threatens to create numerous conflicts of interest as he steps into the top operations role at the FBI.
He owns a 5.7% stake in the video platform company Rumble, valued at roughly $130 million as of this week, corporate filings show. He maintains senior positions with seven of his companies in Florida, state records show. And he has spent years plugging advertisers by name — including many which operate in sectors that attract government scrutiny.
“I will be divorcing myself from the business,” Bongino said during the final minutes of what would be listed as episode 2,438 on Apple Podcasts.
Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, is normally boisterous on his show. But he took on a stoic demeanor as he delivered his final goodbye, pausing for a moment of silence as he pondered the immense responsibility of managing the FBI’s operations.
“I absolutely know that this was the right thing to do,” he began. “I’m going there with a clear mission in mind. I go in there with a clear head. This was done for the right reasons. And I really, really am going to miss doing this.”
In recent days, former FBI agents have told NOTUS they have deep reservations about having ongoing investigations — many of which touch on national security matters — overseen by Bongino, who rejected the 2020 election results, has called for imprisoning Democrats and described an attempt to hold President Donald Trump accountable for fomenting the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection as “backstabbing.”
The deputy director position at the FBI has traditionally gone to a career agent who has risen through the ranks and is intimately familiar with agency protocol and ethics rules — usually selected from the small group of senior leadership already posted at the bureau headquarters in Washington. Bongino’s placement is a marked departure, determined directly by the Trump White House in what amounts to a political appointment without needing Senate confirmation.
Bongino took the final moments of his podcast to address politics head on.
“My social media accounts are not going to be abandoned, but I won’t be posting about politics. It would be inappropriate. There’s understandable restrictions on that, which make perfect sense,” he said.
“I have to stay out of the political space, because it’s the right thing to do. And it’s the rules,” he continued between sniffles. “I’m not going there to be some partisan. I know, the people who hate my guts in the media, I don’t expect you to understand that. The idea to put aside your politics to do a job is foreign to you. I totally get that. But it’s not to me. You know, I proudly protected two Democratic presidents and a Republican. No problem at all. And now it’s a different protection role.”
“I’ll see you guys on the other side,” he ended with a salute, wiping away his tears with a tissue. “That was hard, man.”
—
Jose Pagliery is a reporter at NOTUS.