The Dan Bongino Show: The Two FBIs (Ep. 2461) – February 26, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan Bongino delivers a characteristically blunt and passionate take on what he sees as the deep contrasts defining American institutions—most notably, within the FBI itself. He examines two breaking news stories: (1) alleged politicized surveillance of former Trump officials by the "bad" side of the FBI; and (2) a public corruption investigation led by the "good" FBI. Throughout, Bongino calls for tough choices, highlights political and cultural "contrasts," shakes off conspiracy-laden critics, and hosts Senator Mike Lee for an in-depth “PhD course” on election integrity and the SAVE Act.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Deepening Political Contrasts: Bongino frames the episode around the theme of contrasts—in politics, public sentiment, law enforcement, and media.
• Two FBIs: He argues there are essentially two FBIs: one is composed of mission-oriented agents fighting crime and espionage; the other has become politicized, weaponized, and corrupted at senior levels.
• Public Accountability & Hard Choices: Bongino repeatedly insists that Americans need to recognize their collective responsibility in demanding reforms and making "level 10" decisions.
• Election Security: The episode concludes with a detailed, practical discussion with Sen. Mike Lee on the SAVE Act, voting standards, and defending the filibuster.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Theme: Contrasts in American Life (00:02–08:30)

• Contrasts Everywhere: Dan opens with a philosophy about how contrasts—like a diamond on black velvet—clarify meaning, whether in visual stimuli or in politics.
  • “Contrasts matter everywhere. They make some stimulus, even though it's the same, look more profound when surrounded by another stimulus.” (00:26)
• State of the Union: Bongino describes the "contrast" between Trump’s State of the Union speech (facts, policy, praise) and Democrats’ People’s State of the Union event, which he characterizes as unserious and fringe.

Notable Quote

“You've got President Trump listing off a thousand great things he did in the past year, backing it up with facts… Contrasts matter everywhere.”
– Dan Bongino (00:29)

2. The Two FBIs & Breaking News (13:30–24:54)

• “Good FBI” vs. “Bad FBI”: Bongino describes the “good” FBI: agents working on violent crime, child exploitation, white-collar fraud. He contrasts this with a “bad” FBI led by people like Comey, Wray, and McCabe, who allegedly weaponize the agency.
  • “You have this one FBI... fighting against child predators…then you have the other FBI, led by a bunch of lunatics…who allowed the FBI you pay for, because it’s yours, to be politicized.” (17:45)
• Breaking Story #1 – Surveillance of Trump Allies: Reports surface that, under Biden, the prior FBI obtained phone records of Cash Patel and Susie Wiles without clear investigative predicate.
  • Bongino underscores this as a textbook example of the “bad” FBI, raising alarms about civil liberties and politicized law enforcement.
  • “What the hell was the predicate to investigate Cash Patel and Susie Wiles? Why?” (16:31)
• Breaking Story #2 – LA Unified School District Head Investigated: Contrasted as the “good” FBI at work: public corruption investigation underway against LA's superintendent; presumption of innocence stressed.
  • “You also have a pretty big public corruption file…Now you’ve got the LA Unified School District.” (22:54)
• National Security Threats: Referencing a major arrest—an ex-US Air Force pilot allegedly training Chinese pilots—Bongino notes, “China is everywhere…waiting for a weakness.”

Notable Quote

“Is the FBI the answer going forward? That's going to be for you all to decide...These are level 10 decisions, where there's a shitty choice and a shittier choice, and which one's the shittier choice is not obvious at this point.”
– Dan Bongino (18:30)

3. Fighting Misinformation & Rejecting Toxic Audiences (08:30–13:30)

• Blowback & ‘Love Notes’: Bongino reads through hate messages, many antisemitic, to illustrate the toxic part of the internet and doubles down on refusing to cater to them.
• Clear insistence: “I don’t want your eyeballs or views. I don’t want a quarter of a penny ... from stupid people like this watching the show.” (10:27)
• “Nobody likes you. Your dog doesn’t even like you. Your own dog hates you. You can get the fuck out of here. I don’t care.” (11:55)

4. The Need for Hard Decisions & Government Realism (24:54–30:00)

• Government is People; Only Elections Matter: Bongino argues that merely replacing institutions like the FBI with new agencies is insufficient if “bad people” are simply transferred over.
  • “You can change the name of the FBI...If you get bad people in charge, you're going to get the exact same stuff. The only answer... is continued eternal vigilance and to win elections.” (25:30)
• The Truth About Reform Pace: “None of this stuff is going to be fixed overnight. It took them decades to destroy it.” (30:01)

5. State of the Union Contrasts & Democrat Panic (30:00–38:30)

• Democrats in “Full-Blown Panic”: Bongino lampoons their “singing” protests and the poor turnout for alternative State of the Union events.
• Heroism as Contrast: Spotlight on Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, Medal of Honor recipient—a visual and symbolic contrast to “Democrats out on the lawn singing like a bunch of crazed lunatics.” (38:00)

Memorable Anecdote

“That’s the look. That’s us. That’ll always be us. And that’s why we need to always stay unified as a country. Because there are real threats out there.”
– Dan Bongino (39:56)

6. Republicans Find Their Message: Obamacare Hypocrisy and Government Shutdowns (41:13–43:59)

• Senator Markwayne Mullin calls out Democrats for demanding more money for a program—Obamacare—that was supposed to save money, sparking a heated exchange with Bernie Sanders.
  • “Obamacare is going to save you a bunch of money and cut costs. By the way, give us more money. The expenses are skyrocketing.” (42:13)
  • “If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you, Bernie. You've been up here for 700 years. If you had a solution, you would have already implemented it.” (42:13)

Timestamped Exchange

Mullin: “So scrap ACA, admit it doesn't work, admit you guys made a mistake, and let's work at something... But there's zero chance you guys could do that. Zero chance.” (41:26)
Sanders: “You've been sitting here longer than I've been alive. This is your problem.” (42:01)

7. Election Integrity, the SAVE Act, and the Filibuster – In-Depth with Senator Mike Lee (81:27–100:49)

Explanation of the SAVE Act (82:05–88:10)

• Intent of the Bill: Make it “easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
• ID & Proof of Citizenship: Requires voters to show citizenship at registration and a photo ID at actual voting. Provisions in place for lost documents or changed names (e.g., married women).
  • “This will not disenfranchise anyone… It could not be easier to prove.” – Sen. Mike Lee (83:00)
• Critique of Democrats’ Objections: Lee and Bongino deride the “paranoid fantasy” that SAVE would disenfranchise women.

Ballots vs. People (85:10–86:25)

• Voter Trust: Concern about election integrity if mass mail-in ballots and ballot harvesting go unchecked.
  • “Where ballots win elections and not people...then you're in anarchy.” (85:10)

The Filibuster and How to Actually Use it (91:45–96:28)

• Filibuster History: Lee explains the “talking filibuster” vs. the current system where a threat blocks votes even when there’s majority support.
• Call to Action: Urges enforcing the talking filibuster, especially for the SAVE Act since 85% of Americans support it.

“If Democrats don’t want this bill to pass, they should be required to go to the Senate floor and explain why to the American people, who, 85% of whom, want this bill to pass.” (94:12)

Rebuttal to Republican Caution (96:28–99:35)

• Argument that Democrats will nuke the filibuster anyway when politically convenient.
  • “Nobody disputes that they are going to dump it...when they have the three levers from the two political branches of government.” – Sen. Mike Lee (98:03)

8. Media Bias & Misleading Narratives (51:44–56:43, 70:00+)

• Bongino, via side-by-side headlines and video clips, asserts that mainstream media (NYT, WaPo) holds “no principles at all”—covering athletes, public safety, or legislative action with blatant partisanship.
• Highlights the mainstream media’s “feigned surprise” at positive trends like decreased crime or drug deaths, attributing it to effective Trump administration policy.
  • “They always act surprised... What could it possibly be?” (70:55)

9. The Reality of Law Enforcement (75:17–80:00)

• Shows a police bodycam video, emphasizing the speed and gravity of police split-second decisions, and supporting body cameras for transparency.
  • “You’re talking about microsecond decisions. Years and years and years of training goes into making that split-second call…” (75:49)

Memorable Quotes & Unfiltered Moments

• “Nobody likes you. Your dog doesn’t even like you.” (To social media trolls; 11:55)
• “These problems… are not going to be fixed over the course of a year or two… It is taken probably close to 20 years to destroy.” (On FBI reform, 03:40)
• “Dogs love everyone. I come home, Lucy… you open the door, she's still licking your face. Your dog doesn't even like you.” (Tongue-in-cheek, 12:15)
• “You can change the name of the FBI… If you get bad people in charge, you're going to get the exact same stuff. The only answer in a republic is continued eternal vigilance and to win elections. That's it.” (25:40)

Important Timestamps & Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Key Point | |-------------|:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Episode opens – Contrasts, setting today’s themes | | 08:30–13:30 | Hate mail & “love notes”; story on false AI smear; philosophy on audience and principled stand| | 13:30–24:54 | Breaking stories: two FBIs—Patel/Wiles surveillance & LA school corruption investigation | | 24:54–30:00 | Reflections on government reform, vigilance, and the limits of institutional change | | 41:13–43:59 | Markwayne Mullin vs. Bernie Sanders – Obamacare hypocrisy at government funding hearing | | 81:27–100:49| Senator Mike Lee: SAVE Act, voter ID, Motor Voter, and the real filibuster explained |

Episode Flow & Utility

This episode is a fast-moving blend of news breakdown, cultural polemics, and practical governance. Dan never shies away from sharp language or calling out what he perceives as stupidity, hypocrisy, or “lunacy” on the left and among internet trolls. He wants engaged, discerning listeners—not blind followers.

The beats of the show hop from FBI news to audience curation, congressional soundbites, election law, to in-the-weeds discussions with Sen. Lee. Recurring throughout: the need for Americans to “make big-girl and big-boy decisions,” to reject easy answers and simplistic binaries, and to remain vigilant against both government overreach and bureaucratic malaise.

Senator Lee’s segment is especially well-paced and accessible for those wanting to understand election security issues, voter ID, and Senate rules—the perfect “PhD course” Dan promised.

For Those Who Haven’t Listened

• The episode is both a high-energy opinion show and a detailed explainer.
• If you want to understand the contemporary right’s arguments on the FBI, election security, and media bias, this episode is a paradigmatic example.
• You’ll come away with a clear sense of the divides at play in American politics—and why Bongino thinks attention to “contrasts” is more necessary than ever.
• The conversation with Senator Mike Lee is essential listening (81:27–100:49) for anyone interested in the filibuster or voter integrity debates.

“Folks, the country is moving in the right direction. The battle is going to be waged every single day for years. No one person is going to fix this.”
– Dan Bongino (Final thoughts)

Recommended Segments:

• 13:30–24:54 — The Two FBIs: Breaking news and what it means
• 41:13–43:59 — Markwayne Mullin debates Obamacare’s broken promises
• 81:27–100:49 — Senator Mike Lee on the SAVE Act and filibuster reforms

For Further Information:

• The Dan Bongino Show on Apple
• The Dan Bongino Show on Spotify
• Rumble