Former FBI Deputy Director Criticizes Matt Gaetz

Dan Bongino, former Deputy Director of the FBI, recently took aim at former Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz after Gaetz made light of Bongino’s prior electoral failures.

Bongino, who wrapped up his career at the FBI in December, had a couple of unsuccessful runs for office, trying to secure a Senate seat in Florida and a House seat in Maryland back in 2016 as a candidate aligned with the Tea Party. In both cases, he faced defeat in the primaries. He referred to critics of the Trump administration, who had targeted Gaetz, as “masterminds, losers in life, fraudsters, and bastards.”

In a reply, Bongino suggested that perhaps Gaetz could have found success if he had engaged in partying with dubious characters who had connections to paid insiders, hinting at Gaetz’s own past. “By the way, you’ve always been a jerk,” Bongino added. He recounted their first meeting in the Panhandle, claiming he recognized Gaetz’s true character right away.

Perhaps he could have won if he had spent more time partying with shady parties with paid insiders. I hear you know a little about it. By the way, you were always an idiot. Like a suckling puppy, it pulls away from its daddy. The first time I met you in the Panhandle, I knew you were someone special…

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino)

In a related incident, One America News Network let go of a producer from Gaetz’s show last November due to the sharing of an anti-Semitic cartoon generated with AI.

As for political developments, President Donald Trump has indicated plans to nominate Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, for the same position in his administration come November 2024. This shift follows Gaetz’s resignation from the House amid resurfacing allegations of sexual misconduct, prompting his initial nominee to withdraw.

Gaetz mentioned in a post that during his single days, he sometimes sent money to women he dated, including some who requested funds despite not having gone out with them. “I had been with some of these women for years,” he said. He firmly stated that he has never had sexual contact with anyone under the age of 18, downplaying the allegations as unsubstantiated without a legal basis.

Reflecting on his past, Gaetz admitted that his 30s were a mix of hard work and excessive partying, as he described it. “It’s not a crime, but it’s embarrassing,” he noted, acknowledging that he probably indulged more than he should have back then but expressed that he is now living a different lifestyle.