‘Suckling little doggie’: MAGA spat erupts as Matt Gaetz takes shot at Dan Bongino

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has been pummeled with criticism since leaving the Trump administration on Sunday, and on Tuesday, disgraced former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) piled on, mocking Bongino’s failed Senate campaigns and drawing a fierce response.

Bongino had his last day at the FBI on Sunday, having left the administration amid scrutiny over his agency’s botched handling of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Despite promoting theories around Epstein prior to joining the Trump administration, he ultimately signed off on a memo that shut down all further investigation into Epstein and potential co-conspirators.

On Monday, Bongino fired off at who he called “ black-pillers, life-losers, grifters and bums” in a social media post on X, and on Tuesday, Gaetz responded to that post with a cheeky dig.

“Grok, when did Dan Bongino run for office and how did he perform as a candidate?” Gaetz wrote, tagging the generative artificial intelligence chatbot known as “Grok” for an automated response to the question.

Grok provided a response to Gaetz inquiry, recounting Bongino’s three failed bids for Senate in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Also providing a response was Bongino, who called Gaetz a “suckling little doggie,” while also referencing accusations against Gaetz from the House Ethics Committee that he committed statutory rape of a minor.

“Maybe if I spent more time at shady parties with monied insiders I would’ve won. I heard you’d know a bit about that,” Bongino wrote.

“You’ve always been a d--- by the way. Grifting off your daddy like a suckling little doggie. When I first met you in the panhandle I knew you were a piece of s---. It’s written all over that phony face of yours.”

Apparently unfazed, Gaetz responded to Bongino’s attack with another cheeky jab, alongside a video of Bongino defending Gaetz on his podcast prior to joining the Trump administration in February.