A Donald Trump appointee to the FBI who was a MAGA fan favorite is now finding himself on the outs with the president's rabid base because they say he has failed to do much of anything since his late February appointment besides make apologetic posts on social media.
Dan Bongino walked away from his lucrative job as a far-right podcaster and apologist for the president to accept the job of deputy FBI director under equally controversial FBI Director Kash Patel despite having no FBI experience.
According to a report from The Buwark's Will Sommer, things have not gone well for the normally abrasive Bongino who has been asking for patience as supporters of the president demand scalps for the way the Trump was treated by the agency that stretched from the Russia investigation in 2016 to the president's involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building.
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As Sommer noted Bongino posted on X, "I am well aware of some of the early concerns expressed on social media about the speed of change. I understand. But I’ll state again, if you think I upended my prior job and lifestyle to take a vacation in FBI headquarters, then I can’t help you. You’ve already decided, despite logic and reason, that all is lost. It is not. Not even close. Because you don’t see things happening in live time, does not mean change isn’t happening. Not even close. You will see results, and not every result will please everyone, but you will absolutely see results. Just watch,” in late March.
Days later he once again counseled patience by writing, "Just because you don’t immediately see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening."
According to Sommer, Bongino –– as well as Patel –- is taking heat from the MAGA faithful for being all talk and no action.
"Since being sworn in, he has spent a remarkable amount of time in the public conversation, trying to calm his social media skeptics. His pleas for patience come amid growing frustration among the MAGA grassroots over the job he and FBI Director Kash Patel are doing," he wrote before adding, "The problem with being a major law enforcement official is that people may expect you to, ya know, solve crimes, like the string of swattings in March targeting right-wing influencers."
Case in point, Sommer reported, was rightwing victims of swatting feeling the FBI is dragging its feet when it comes to investigations with one victim, influencer Larry Taunton, joined by another victim, Infowars personality Owen Shroyer, complaining, "I keep seeing a lot of tough-talking tweets. In the amount of time it takes to prepare a tweet, one could pick up the phone and give people like me or Owen [Shroyer] a phone call.”
The report adds, "In Bongino’s case, his audience has been told for years that prominent liberals and deep-state operatives have committed blatant crimes against the Trump family that should be easy to prosecute. Yet no top Democrats have been indicted, leading Trump fans to believe Bongino is falling down on the job."
According to Sommer, Bongino was still begging for time Wednesday, posting on X: "I’ll state again that I realize asking you to 'trust me' is an insult. This isn’t a 'trust me' business, it’s a 'get stuff done business.' You WILL see results. What the Director and I are doing is not an accident. Reform and results are our only priorities. We have no other agenda. We didn’t come here to let America down."