Bongino Fires Back at Tucker Carlson, Rejects Claims Trump Shut Down Butler Investigation

A public dispute between conservative commentators Dan Bongino and Tucker Carlson escalated this week after Carlson alleged that President Donald Trump personally shut down the investigation into the July 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania — a claim Bongino forcefully rejected while presenting text messages he says directly contradict Carlson’s account.
The controversy began during Carlson’s appearance on Mario Nawfal’s program on Thursday, where he claimed that while serving as deputy FBI director, Bongino told him that Trump was responsible for ending the investigation into the shooting carried out by Thomas Crooks.
Carlson said he came into possession of social media posts allegedly authored by Crooks before the attack and became concerned after learning the FBI had previously stated such material did not exist. According to Carlson, he contacted FBI Director Kash Patel and later spoke with Bongino to discuss the matter.
During the interview, Carlson described Bongino as unusually emotional and claimed the former FBI official reacted with fear when confronted with questions about the case.
Carlson further alleged that after a series of phone calls and text exchanges, Bongino told him to “take it up with Trump,” claiming the president was responsible for shutting down the investigation. Carlson said that conversation left him questioning why an inquiry into an attempt on a president’s life would ever be halted.
The accusation immediately drew attention because it suggested that the investigation into one of the most significant political violence incidents in recent memory had been improperly curtailed.
But on Friday, Bongino devoted a portion of his program to dismantling Carlson’s claims, producing text messages he said proved the allegations were false.
Bongino flatly rejected the assertion that Trump shut down the Butler investigation, calling the claim entirely fabricated. He pointed to a November 2025 report citing federal officials who said the investigation remained active and that authorities had concluded Crooks acted alone after what was described as one of the largest deployments of FBI investigative resources in agency history.
According to the report cited by Bongino, officials stated they would continue pursuing any credible leads and remained committed to leaving “no stone left unturned.”
Reading from his text exchanges with Carlson, Bongino highlighted messages in which he informed Carlson that he had briefed Trump on the case and that the president was satisfied his questions had been answered.
Bongino argued that nothing in the messages supported Carlson’s claim that Trump had ordered the investigation shut down. Instead, he said the texts showed discussions about the status of the case and Trump’s understanding of investigators’ findings.
The former FBI official also noted that Trump had publicly expressed satisfaction with the FBI’s handling of the investigation in comments reported by The Daily Caller, a publication Carlson co-founded.
Additional messages presented by Bongino showed Carlson questioning why the FBI had not done more to prove Crooks acted alone and claiming Trump himself was skeptical of the official conclusions.
Bongino accused Carlson of implying that he and Patel were involved in some form of cover-up while failing to provide evidence supporting his allegations. He repeatedly challenged Carlson to present any contradictory information he claimed to possess.
The dispute eventually became personal, with Bongino comparing Carlson to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and accusing him of inventing the story. He expressed frustration that a longtime friendship had deteriorated over what he characterized as baseless accusations.
While both men remain influential voices on the right, the clash underscores continuing disagreements over unanswered questions surrounding the Butler shooting and reflects broader tensions within conservative media over how the case has been handled. Even as officials maintain the investigation reached its conclusions, the debate demonstrates how lingering doubts about major national security incidents can continue to fuel controversy long after the events themselves have passed.