Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a pointed warning to former President Barack Obama this week after the 44th president criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the Department of Justice, escalating tensions over allegations of federal law enforcement politicization.
Obama made his comments during an appearance with late-night host Stephen Colbert, where he accused President Donald Trump of improperly directing prosecutions against political rivals. “The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever,” Obama said. “The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer. It’s not the president’s consigliere.”
Bongino’s Response
Bongino responded forcefully during a public appearance this week, suggesting Obama himself could face scrutiny over actions tied to the Russia investigation and allegations of political weaponization during the 2016 transition period. “What was with the tweet – the shock to my core? Well, in case you missed it, some of you may have, I’m gonna tell ya,” Bongino said. “Because what Barack Obama said the other day – was it Colbert’s show? No. No, no. We’re not doing that. You know, I know things too, Mr. President.”
Bongino did not specify what information he was referencing, though his remarks fueled speculation among Trump allies that additional investigations into the Trump-Russia probe’s origins could emerge.
Administration Defense
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly rejected Obama’s accusations that the Justice Department is being politicized under Trump. “We are absolutely doing nothing but what we should be doing at the Department of Justice,” Blanche said.
Blanche defended the administration’s authority under Article II of the Constitution, arguing that executive power is vested in the president and that the White House is entitled to direct policy priorities within the Justice Department.
Conservative Pushback
Conservatives have increasingly pushed back against Obama’s comments by revisiting allegations surrounding the origins of the Russia investigation during the 2016 transition period. Conservative commentator Mollie Hemingway sharply criticized Obama during a television appearance this week, accusing the former president of orchestrating what she described as the “Russia collusion hoax.”
“It’s actually reprehensible commentary from the man who instigated the Russia collusion hoax,” Hemingway said. “He refused to accept his loss. And so he orchestrated this entire effort to run a coup against the incoming president.”