Bongino Targets Obama With Chilling Message: ‘I Know Things’

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is calling out Barack Obama after the former president appeared on late-night television to lecture the country about the dangers of using the Justice Department as a political weapon.

The irony was hard to miss.

During an appearance with Stephen Colbert, Obama warned against allowing the White House to pressure federal law enforcement into going after political opponents.

“We can’t … have a situation in which whoever is in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies.”

Obama also argued that presidents should not pressure the attorney general over prosecutions and even suggested that such limits may need to be written into federal law.

For conservatives who remember the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, the comments landed with remarkable hypocrisy. Obama was still president when his FBI and Justice Department launched the probe into then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over allegations that he was aligned with Russia. Years later, many on the right still view that episode as one of the most consequential examples of federal law enforcement being turned against a political movement.

Bongino, who recently returned to his podcast after serving as the No. 2 official at the FBI, made clear that he was not going to let Obama rewrite history.

“You know, I know things too, Mr. President, and so do you. Not pretending I was at your level, you were the president, I was just the deputy director of the FBI, but it’s not a small thing. And I’m not letting you get away with this, no chance,” Bongino said.

Bongino has previously spoken about what he describes as “Russiagate” materials and has claimed that documents discovered during his time at the bureau could reveal more about the alleged “weaponization” of federal institutions. Fox News reported that Bongino has said he found what he described as a “mother lode” of “Russiagate” files during his time at the FBI.

His comments also come after he recently told Fox host Sean Hannity that he fears political retaliation if Democrats regain control of Congress. Bongino said he worries that lawfare could be used against him because of the work he and FBI Director Kash Patel began inside the bureau.

Bongino’s background gives his remarks added weight. He served in the Secret Service’s Presidential Protective Division during Obama’s presidency before later becoming a prominent conservative voice in media and politics. While he once spoke positively about Obama and his family during his time in protective service, his view of the Obama legacy shifted sharply as controversies over federal surveillance, law enforcement power, and the 2016 election investigation became central issues for conservatives.

His tenure as FBI Co-Deputy Director from March 2025 to January 2026 drew strong reactions from both sides. Supporters viewed him as part of a long-overdue effort to clean up an agency many conservatives believe had been politicized. Critics, however, described his leadership as controversial and marked by clashes over investigative priorities and internal management.

Bongino later said he stepped away from the FBI to return to his family and media career. He also told Hannity that he had informed President Donald J. Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel before taking the post that he only intended to serve for about a year.

President Trump praised Bongino after his departure, suggesting that his podcast and public platform could have a greater political and cultural impact than a government position.

The dispute reflects a larger battle over the future of federal law enforcement in America. For the left, concerns about “weaponization” tend to emerge only when Democrats are out of power. For many conservatives, the issue began years earlier, when the federal bureaucracy, intelligence agencies, and media allies pushed narratives that damaged President Trump, his campaign, and millions of Americans who supported him.

Bongino’s warning to Obama was not just a personal response. It was a reminder that the country still has unresolved questions about what happened during the 2016 election cycle, who authorized it, and whether the same institutions can ever fully regain the public’s trust.

In his interview with Hannity, Bongino made clear that he believes the stakes are personal and political.

“I will never be the same, and I’m being serious as a stroke right now. I’m scared, man. I know what I did, and I’m proud of my work, and I’m proud of what me and Kash accomplished in the past year…I know what we did, and I know what’s coming, I know what I started [and] laid out,” Bongino said.

For conservatives, Obama’s late-night warning may sound less like a principled defense of justice and more like an attempt to sanitize the very system his administration helped unleash against President Trump.