Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson escalated his ongoing criticism of President Donald Trump this week, claiming that Trump personally shut down an investigation into the 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania — an allegation that former FBI official Dan Bongino has already forcefully denied.
Carlson made the remarks during an appearance with Mario Nawfal on Thursday, where he discussed what he described as troubling unanswered questions surrounding the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler.
The attack, carried out by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, shocked the nation during the heat of the 2024 presidential campaign. Crooks was killed after opening fire, but lingering questions about his motives have persisted. The absence of a manifesto and a lack of publicly known social media activity have fueled widespread speculation and conspiracy theories about what drove the attack.
According to Carlson, he unexpectedly obtained social media posts allegedly authored by Crooks that he said contradicted previous claims that such material did not exist. Carlson argued that the discovery raised concerns about how the case had been handled and prompted him to contact both FBI Director Kash Patel and Bongino, who at the time was serving in the Trump administration.
Carlson said he approached the conversations seeking answers rather than assigning blame to current officials. He noted that he believed any alleged wrongdoing would have occurred under the previous FBI leadership led by former Director Christopher Wray.
What followed, according to Carlson, was a series of exchanges that left him deeply unsettled.
The former Fox News host claimed Bongino reacted emotionally when confronted with the information. Carlson described Bongino as “terrified” and “hysterical,” saying the response was completely unlike any interaction he had experienced with him previously despite years of friendship and professional acquaintance.
Carlson alleged that after numerous phone calls and text exchanges, Bongino ultimately told him to bring the matter directly to Trump.
According to Carlson, Bongino told him that Trump was responsible for shutting down the investigation into the Butler shooting.
Carlson said the alleged statement left him stunned, arguing that there was no obvious explanation for ending an investigation into an assassination attempt against a sitting president.
The claims come as Carlson has increasingly broken with Trump on several major issues. Once one of the president’s most prominent defenders, Carlson has recently criticized him over the release of Epstein-related information, the administration’s foreign policy decisions, and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
During a recent episode of his own program, Carlson argued that Trump had shifted from positions he held during the 2024 campaign, particularly regarding military intervention overseas. He pointed to Trump’s previous opposition to regime-change wars and contrasted those positions with more recent actions.
The dispute quickly spilled into public view after Bongino responded Friday morning on X.
Rejecting Carlson’s account entirely, Bongino accused the former television host of fabricating the story.
“More receipts incoming on my show today that the nepo baby is lying again,” Bongino wrote.
He continued his criticism with a mocking comparison, writing that Carlson was “like Teddy Ruxpin,” adding that “you put a coin in his back and he tells you a story.”
The exchange marks the latest chapter in a growing rift between two influential conservative voices, with the controversy centering on unanswered questions surrounding one of the most consequential and alarming events of the 2024 campaign.
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