Podcaster Dan Bongino angrily fired back at Tucker Carlson over a wild claim that the former FBI deputy director told him that President Donald J. Trump personally shut down an investigation into his attempted assassination at Butler, PA.
During a Thursday interview with Mario Nawfal that blew up on social media, Carlson said that a “terrified” and “hysterical” Bongino told him that it was Trump who put the kibosh on probing the July 13, 2024 incident when would be assassin Thomas Crooks opened fire on the then-GOP candidate, grazing his ear before being taken out.
A terrified Bongino told Tucker that Trump shut down the Butler investigation himself.
Tucker says he accidentally obtained the Thomas Crooks social media posts the FBI claimed didn’t exist, then called Kash Patel and Dan Bongino looking for answers.
Bongino, a friend of… https://t.co/fP090liFgJ pic.twitter.com/RR08fJ1Ba2
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 12, 2026
Carlson, who has previously expressed his opinion that something is being hidden about the assassination attempt, told Nawfal that he had texts from Bongino about their conversations which he said also took place over the phone.
On Friday, Bongino unloaded on his former Fox News colleague on Friday’s edition of “The Dan Bongino Show,” explaining that he also has copies of their texts and calling for Carlson to “back it the f**k up” during a twelve minute rant on the incendiary accusation.
Dan Bongino blows up Tucker Carlson’s credibility & claim that “Trump covered up the Butler Shooting”
Bongino brought the receipts too, something Tucker Carlson did not do. Intentionally.
The whole 12 minutes is worth watching
pic.twitter.com/zF1deby89w
— J (@JayTC53) June 12, 2026
“He doesn’t realize, like, I have these texts, too. I never do this, but if you’re going to refer to texts alleging we committed a crime, I’m going to put it out there. But first, let’s address his two points. He says that the president shut down the Butler investigation. Totally, completely, 100 percent made up,” Bongino said, according to a transcript. He cited a November 2025 Fox News report that authorities concluded Crooks “acted alone” after “one of the largest mobilizations of FBI resources in history that, frankly, continued to this day.”
The conservative firebrand proceeded to share texts with Carlson with his audience.
“Do you guys see — anyone — anything in this text, anything at all in the audience, Tucker fans or anyone else, do you see anything in the text he claims to have that says the president shut down the investigation? He’s just making this up,” Bongino said.
He later likened Carlson to MS NOW conspiracy queen Rachel Maddow and accused him of fabricating the entire story.
“Tucker says the president is basically obstructing jus… he’s accusing the president of a crime,” he raged. “I had a bunch of people like, ‘Oh, you should sue him.’ Folks, it doesn’t matter with this guy. He doesn’t care about the truth. It’s a shame that we were friends, and he took it and he sh*t it down a toilet bowl because he’s a person of a lie who has the impulse control of a child.”
“I’m sure he’s going to cackle at all this with that stupid laugh,” Bongino concluded. “If you’re gonna accuse me in a mass media outlet of a federal crime, and claim you have evidence and accuse the president, too? Then you better back it the f**k up!”
