Former right-wing podcaster and longtime conspiracy theorist Dan Bongino reportedly did not receive a traditional background check before securing his current role as second-in-command at the FBI.
According to ProPublicaFBI Director Kash Patel gave Bongino a waiver at the time of his hiring—along with at least two other FBI officials installed by President Donald Trump—allowing him to skip the polygraph test that’s usually required. Experts told the outlet that the decision to give Bongino a pass in this way goes against FBI precedent.
In addition to access to classified materials, Bongino also now has the power to conduct surveillance operations, interact with federal intelligence agencies, and manage day-to-day operations of the country’s biggest law enforcement agency—all without being vetted for the job.
“I don’t know of anybody in my time that were in those senior roles that failed polygraphs, and most of us had taken multiple polygraphs,” former FBI executive Bob Anderson told ProPublica.
The FBI’s congressional liaison Marshall Yates and Patel’s assistant Nicole Rucker were also given the same waiver as Bongino. An FBI Security Division employee has reportedly filed a formal complaint alleging that the waivers are a violation of agency policy.
Bongino was picked to be deputy director of the FBI after years as a conservative podcaster, a job he picked up after losing multiple congressional campaigns. Bongino also worked for a time as a host on Fox News, where he likely caught Trump’s attention.
Bongino used his show to push absurd conspiracy theories, including tall tales about the investigation into Trump’s collusion with Russia. Bongino was so devoted to this false narrative that he wrote a book called “Follow the Money: The Shocking Deep State Connections of the Anti-Trump Cabal.”
Bongino’s conspiracy portfolio also includes the 2020 election, which he characterized as a “comping coup” against Trump.
Bongino is also an aficionado of the public meltdown. During one of his failed congressional runs in 2016, he called a reporter to scream, “Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit!”
He also called yours truly “human filth” during a diatribe on the defunct NRA TV in 2018.
The revelation that unvetted people at the highest levels of law enforcement now have access to sensitive intelligence material adds to the growing pile of scandals involving Patel, who’s been caught ferrying himself and his girlfriend on the public’s dime and has been inept in presenting criminal cases.
Bongino brought trouble with him to the FBI—Patel’s response was to give him more power.
