Tucker Carlson lobbed a political hand grenade Thursday, claiming former FBI official and conservative firebrand Dan Bongino privately told him that Trump himself shut down efforts to continue digging into the Butler shooting.
If true, it would raise an obvious question: Why would a man who narrowly survived an assassin’s bullet want investigators to stop looking for answers?
And if it’s false, why is one of the most influential voices on the Right making the accusation in the first place?
Appearing on Mario Nawfal’s program, Carlson described what he portrayed as a deeply unsettling series of conversations with Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel regarding lingering mysteries tied to the July 2024 attack.
The Butler shooting remains one of the most extraordinary events in modern American political history. Gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, was killed by law enforcement after opening fire at Trump during a campaign rally. Yet nearly two years later, many Americans remain unconvinced they have received a complete accounting of what happened, particularly given the lack of publicly available information about Crooks’ motivations.
Carlson said his concerns intensified after he allegedly obtained social media material connected to Crooks that authorities had previously suggested did not exist. According to Carlson, what followed was a dramatic confrontation with figures he believed would welcome new information.
“I know that, about Butler, I know that Trump shut down the investigation into Butler. That is a fact. Dan Bongino told me that when he worked at the FBI,” Carlson said. He went on to claim that Bongino’s reaction caught him completely off guard. “Dan Bongino himself was terrified when I spoke to him in December,” Carlson said.
Carlson recounted contacting both Patel and Bongino after reviewing the alleged material linked to Crooks. He stressed that his concerns were directed at decisions made before their tenure, not at them personally. But according to Carlson, Bongino reacted emotionally and defensively. “Dan Bongino became hysterical with me on the phone,” Carlson said. “I’ve known Dan a long time for many years and always gotten along with him.”
Carlson continued by describing a series of phone calls and text exchanges that he claims culminated in Bongino directing him elsewhere for answers. “Ultimately, after a long series of text exchanges, which I still have, and phone conversations, he said, ‘Look, take it up with Trump. He’s the one who shut down the investigation.’”
That allegation instantly poured gasoline on a fire that has already been burning inside portions of the conservative movement.
For months, Carlson has become increasingly critical of Trump on several high-profile issues, including foreign policy, government transparency, and the long-running controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files. Once viewed as one of Trump’s most influential media allies, Carlson now frequently challenges the administration from the right.
The Butler attack has become a recurring subject of Carlson’s criticism. He has argued that the aftermath of the shooting coincided with significant shifts in Trump’s approach to foreign policy and national security.
The latest accusation, however, strikes at something even more politically sensitive: trust. Many Trump supporters spent years demanding transparency from federal agencies they believed concealed information from the public. That same expectation now applies to any unanswered questions surrounding the attempt on Trump’s life. Conservatives who have spent decades criticizing government secrecy are unlikely to suddenly lose interest simply because the controversy touches their own side.
Not surprisingly, Bongino came out swinging. On Friday morning, he blasted Carlson’s account and promised evidence to disprove it. “More receipts incoming on my show today that the nepo baby is lying again,” Bongino wrote on X.
He didn’t stop there. “He’s like Teddy Ruxpin, you put a coin in his back and he tells you a story.”
The public clash now leaves conservatives with two competing narratives. Carlson insists he possesses texts and conversations backing up his version of events. Bongino says Carlson is flat-out lying and promises proof.
Somewhere between those claims lies the truth.
