Former FBI Deputy Director and popular podcaster Dan Bongino appeared on Sean Hannity’s podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” in an episode that aired on Tuesday. During the discussion, he confirmed what many already suspected: there is indeed a Deep State, with certain factions within our own institutions working against the very government they are supposed to serve.
He revealed that the FBI is split, which in and of itself is a problem considering everyone at the bureau should be on the same page: Fighting real crime and keeping Americans safe:
“There were two FBIs trying to help you solve the A, B and C problems, and that’s FBI one and FBI two,” Bongino said in the episode released Tuesday.
He explained that half of the bureau consists of agents he felt “honored” to be in the room with, including those working in Violent Crimes Against Children (VCAC) and violent crime fugitive task forces. But on the other side of the FBI, Bongino had a different view.
“And then you had this other FBI,” Bongino said, adding, “which was populated with, to say, unfortunately, ‘snakes’ is being nice.”
Bongino left his position at the FBI after just 10 months due to infighting and the personal toll it took on him. He mentioned that the job was “tough on the family” and admitted that he did not find the role enjoyable. Despite his departure, he left on good terms with both FBI Director Kash Patel and Trump, who remarked, “Dan did a great job.”
He also said that he and Patel had trouble figuring out who they could trust:
He said it was difficult for him and Patel to determine which agents fit each category, noting it was not “always obvious.” He added they sometimes relied on outside sources to vet agents, but those efforts were not always accurate.
“You’re trying to figure this out, and you’re asking someone for advice, you’ve only been there a couple weeks, and you don’t know if that person is part of the good FBI or the bad FBI,” Bongino said.
He then explained how they discovered which agents were working against the Trump administration:
It comes in mens and womens and lets your friends know you're happy to express your views and don't care what anyone thinks! Cheers!
To root out these individuals, Bongino described a tactic he used to identify leakers. He made up an “innocuous” detail about his schedule in hopes it would be leaked. When it appeared in the media, he was able to confront the person with whom he shared it.
“It was like we would play this little game,” Bongino said.
If you still aren’t convinced there even is a deep state (hint: there is), you can hear Dan discuss it in his own words. Here’s the entire episode with Hannity:
