Taylor’s Takes: Trust Bongino, Mr. President

I don’t know what FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino knows, but it’s enough for him to take one of the biggest risks of his life.

This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice released a memo summarizing their conclusions of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s death. The DOJ concluded that Epstein committed suicide in his jail cell. The Department also dispelled the widely held belief that it was in possession of Epstein’s “little black book,” i.e., his client list.

The memo has infuriated the reddest MAGA members who were told time and again that a list of all of the elite perverts who routinely ran to Epstein whenever they got the yen for an underage girl did, in fact, exist and was in government custody.

Pam Bondi confirmed this much to Fox News’ John Roberts, who asked explicitly about the client list on February 21.

“DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. Will that really happen,” asked Roberts.

Bondi responded, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.”

Roberts asked Bondi directly about the client list. Bondi gave a direct answer without any clarifications or addenda.

Enter Karoline Leavitt, who was asked about this interaction by Fox’s Peter Doocy following the release of the DOJ memo.

“She was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. That’s what the Attorney General was referring to,” Leavitt supplemented.

The White House Press Secretary’s comment was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many who had faith that the Trump administration would bring to light all of Epstein’s crimes and associates, exposing what they believed to be a super-ring of depraved elitists.

One of those people appears to be Dan Bongino.

Bongino is one of the fiercest Trump defenders out there. He’s practically solely responsible for Rumble’s success as a video streaming platform and haven for free speech. He took to the site live for years with The Dan Bongino Show throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, exposing deep-staters and propping up President Trump as he ran for re-election a second time.

For all of his efforts, Bongino was awarded the FBI Deputy Director position by Trump. Bongino took up this new mantle, setting aside the media empire he had built up to affect real change within and through the Bureau.

But this Epstein fumble goes against everything Bongino believes in: truth, justice, and government transparency.

And now the reporting is that Deputy Director Bongino has submitted an ultimatum to President Trump: either AG Pam Bondi is fired, or Bongino quits.

While Bongino’s hands aren’t totally clean of a perceived Epstein coverup (he appeared with his boss, Kash Patel, on Fox Business earlier this month to support the FBI’s finding that Epstein had taken his own life), he seems to believe that there is much more to the Epstein story than the DOJ is willing to reveal to the public.

And it’s for this reason that President Trump should take a Solomonic approach to Bongino’s ultimatum.

Bongino, a man who has put his life on the line as a cop and a Secret Service agent, and his reputation on the line as a commentator and podcaster, is now putting his livelihood on the line all for the sake of what he believes in. He’s offering President Trump a course correction on this Epstein flub. And he’s willing to bet everything he has made of his life and career for that to happen.

President Trump would be wise to heed Bongino’s proposal.

Pam Bondi was a second choice for AG to begin with, and MAGA supporters were hesitant to lend her their support after learning of her support for red flag laws.

“Yes (wo)men” are easy to come by in Trump’s orbit. For once, he needs to listen to a loyalist’s earnest and heartfelt dissent.

Bongino speaks for all of us.