Dan Bongino, Epstein, & the Collapse of MAGA

Do you remember when Dan Bongino spoke honestly about Jeffrey Epstein and adamantly told his viewers that the Epstein case mattered? At the time, he clearly understood that Epstein was not just one single depraved individual, but part of a system built on leverage, silence, and fear. Unfortunately, once Bongino joined the FBI, that clarity quickly vanished.

Since stepping down from his position in the FBI, Bongino now spends his time minimizing and deflecting. When people refuse to comply, he blocks them on his social media. I found out last Tuesday that I’m one of those people, not because I have a large following or influence, but because I called him out for protecting child predators. The fact that someone who proudly refers to himself as an American Patriot is now blocking even small accounts for asking hard questions should trouble anyone who still believes this movement is about truth. Dan Bongino is now part of the swamp he told us he was going to fight.

I don’t think the American people have been given anything close to the truth on Epstein; this seems like a solid guess, especially since the revelation that another one million files have recently turned up (not yet released, in violation of the law). Epstein’s intelligence connections are blatantly obvious, the government’s procedural failures show utter incompetence, and the illegally redacted files, missing evidence, and conveniently silenced witnesses all point in the same direction: coverup. This also looks very much like a classic blackmail operation, the kind intelligence agencies have relied on for decades. (But if you’re not convinced, do check out the writings of Whitney Webb on the topic.)

When someone like Dan Bongino, an insider who understands how government power actually functions, moves from calling the Epstein case “a big deal” that we peasants shouldn’t let go to treating our skepticism as a threat and starts name calling us, it raises a great deal of doubt. Who is benefitting here, and why are our political elites so determined to keep the truth from coming out, even if it means doing something as tasteless as defending child predators? The total blundering on Epstein is shattering MAGA to its core. There are some Trump loyalists who will never turn on him, but the whole thing has been a wakeup call to many, and our President is quickly hemorrhaging support. At this rate, the midterms will be a real bloodbath for the GOP.

Anyone paying attention can see that whatever populist energy once existed in the MAGA movement has morphed into something else entirely, a neocon project wrapped in America First branding. Donald Trump is now backing figures like Lindsey Graham, even as Graham faces a genuine America First primary challenger, while three Zionist billionaires’ money is being deployed to undermine Thomas Massie, one of the last consistently principled constitutionalists in Congress. At the same time, Trump defends hateful people like Randy Fine, whose rhetoric and priorities bear little resemblance to liberty, restraint, or peace; Fine even praised a photo of a dead Palestinian baby on X. These are ugly, cruel people who care more about lining their pockets than the lives of the American people they’re supposed to represent.

Bongino has recently declared war on what he calls “black-pillers” and “grifters,” accusing them of trying to hijack MAGA. But that accusation collapses under even minimal scrutiny. In reality, Bongino should take a hard look in a mirror. Taking a paycheck to mislead the American people is grifting, no matter how you try to spin it. Scolding Americans for opposing endless wars while cheering funding for Ukraine and Israel over the needs of Americans at home is anything but America First. Supporting aggression against Venezuela, after voters have repeatedly rejected interventionism and forever wars, is not representation; it’s the opposite of what the people voted for.

As happens so often, proximity to power has replaced principle, loyalty has replaced truth, and questioning the narrative became indistinguishable from betrayal. Even Tulsi Gabbard can’t bring herself to criticize the operations in Venezuela. MAGA is all but dead, and it’s due to the Trump administration going back on almost every campaign promise.

When someone like Dan Bongino, who once spoke openly about Epstein and the implications of that case, now works to shut people up and close ranks, it confirms what many of us have already concluded. Accountability is not the goal. Transparency is not the goal. Truth is certainly not the goal. Obedience is. They were banking on people’s love for Trump to be so strong, it wouldn’t wane even when people think they’re being lied to.

If Bongino has any hope in repairing his severely damaged reputation, he’ll stop blocking his critics and instead take their criticism to heart. It would be a whole lot more powerful for someone like him to come out and say he quit because the Deep State is too big, and he couldn’t reveal the truth due to threats against him and his family. My guess is he’s too afraid. That’s why the best person to tell the truth would be Donald Trump himself, no matter what they have on him. He could actually make a big impact by telling the truth about Epstein, encouraging prosecutions against wealthy Epstein clients, stopping foreign aid/funding of foreign wars, decreasing the budget, and getting AIPAC lobbyists to register as foreign agents. They may end up killing him for it, but wouldn’t it be better to go down a hero than just another war pig?