Bongino tells Hannity he was paid for opinions before and now bases investigations on facts
Dan BonginoDeputy Director of the FBI
Asked by Sean Hannity about his earlier post alleging a massive cover-up of the pipe bomber's identity, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the investigation had just begun and that investigators were comfortable they had their suspect. He said he had been paid for his opinions in the past and was now paid to base investigations on facts.
Responding to
The FBI knew who planted the January 2021 pipe bombs but concealed that information.
“I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions. That's clear and one day I'll be back in that space, but that's not what I'm paid for now. I'm paid to be your Deputy Director and we base investigations on facts”
Original video
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Did the FBI conceal who planted the January 2021 pipe bombs, as Dan Bongino alleged?
Before joining FBI leadership, Dan Bongino alleged that the Bureau already knew who planted the devices outside the DNC and RNC on January 5, 2021, and had concealed an inside operation. Democratic senators challenged him to substantiate or withdraw the accusation. In December 2025 the DOJ charged Brian Cole Jr.; he pleaded not guilty. The charge and its supporting evidence do not establish whether investigators had earlier known Cole's identity or whether the alleged cover-up occurred.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Fox News video of Bongino's interview with Sean Hannity on the night of Brian Cole Jr.'s arrest. The excerpt follows the video's captions and was checked against an audio transcription of the segment.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Mediaite transcript and summary of Bongino's Hannity interview the night of Cole's arrest.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Report on Bongino's departure from the FBI.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Bongino appeared on Hannity on the night the FBI announced the arrest of Brian Cole Jr. Hannity read back Bongino's earlier post that the bomber's identity was being hidden because the bomber was either a connected anti-Trump insider or the act was an inside job. Bongino replied that the investigation had just begun and that investigators were comfortable they had their suspect.
After the quotation
Bongino went on to say he had seen media figures at the news conference who had promoted the Trump-Russia collusion allegations, and that the difference was that his side evolves as new information comes out. He left the FBI in January 2026.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Reference point: Bongino's accusation that FBI officials knew the bomber's identity and concealed it. Asked directly about that accusation, Bongino redirects to his change of role rather than affirming or retracting it, so we used Explicitly stayed out. Challenged the characterization is close, but he does not dispute the cover-up label; his remark that his side evolves as new information comes out suggests a different view without stating one. The Condemned label on his January 2025 remark no longer fits because he does not repeat the allegation. Evidence: primary, the Fox News video of the interview, checked against its captions and an audio transcription.
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More from this case
Read the full caseThomas Massie says officials who announced Cole's arrest are obscuring the real bomber
“All of the people who took credit at the podium upon the arrest of Brian Cole Jr. are complicit, either through negligence or malfeasance. Mr. Cole is not the J5/J6 pipe bomber, and the identity of the actual perpetrator is being obscured.”Read statement
Moss says the pipe-bomb arrest defeated the inside-job theories, assuming the suspect is proven responsible in court
“this defeated all of the theories, all the conspiracies for the last four years about who this particular pipe bomber could have been. Assuming of course, this person is actually proven in a court of law to have been that person. All the theories that the Trump team, that Dan Bongino, that Kash Patel, everybody was saying was this was an inside job. This was somebody at the bureau. This was someone from the Capitol Police.”Read statement
Senators challenge pipe-bomb cover-up claim
“Your claim that the FBI is responsible for a cover-up is an extremely serious allegation that you have an obligation either to substantiate or repudiate.”Read statement
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- Bongino tells Hannity he was paid for opinions before and now bases investigations on facts
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The Dispute Index. "Bongino tells Hannity he was paid for opinions before and now bases investigations on facts". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4783-asked-by-sean-hannity-about-his-earlier-post