Tucker Carlson is placing blame squarely on Attorney General Pam Bondi for what he calls the dramatic unraveling of FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s once-thriving media career—pointing directly to the ongoing Epstein scandal and confusion surrounding the so-called “client list.”

Speaking on the Culture Apothecary podcast, Carlson laid out how a series of missteps—particularly Bondi’s February Fox News interview, where she claimed to have Epstein’s full file—sparked a MAGA backlash that ultimately devastated Bongino’s credibility with his loyal audience.

“All of a sudden everybody thinks you’re covering up Epstein’s crimes. And it kind of wrecks Dan’s career,” Carlson said. “It’s going to be very hard to go back to his podcast audience and be like, ‘I’m telling you the truth,’ when they all think that he’s covering up for Epstein. Who did that? Pam Bondi did that.”

Carlson explained that Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and prominent conservative podcaster, was “making tons of money” and enjoying life in Florida before President Donald J. Trump asked him to serve in a leadership role at the FBI. Bongino, ever loyal to the President and the MAGA movement, accepted the role, sacrificing personal wealth and media influence to return to public service.

Then the Epstein narrative exploded.

The Department of Justice—under Bondi’s leadership—released a memo concluding that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and denying the existence of any "client list." The ruling contradicted Bondi’s earlier implication that she had the list sitting on her desk. That contradiction triggered intense blowback from Trump’s base, which had long expected the Epstein files to reveal powerful names involved in his alleged sex-trafficking network.

Carlson emphasized that Bongino was collateral damage in that messaging disaster, with many MAGA supporters wrongly believing he was part of a cover-up.

“Dan got completely shafted,” Carlson added. “And he loves Trump… I just really feel for him.”

Frustration within the America First movement has escalated. While the White House later clarified that Bondi had Epstein’s full case file—not a standalone client list—the damage was already done. Bongino was put in the awkward position of having to appear on Fox News to defend the suicide ruling, undermining his credibility with his own base.

By May, Bongino admitted he was “dying inside” and deeply unhappy in his new role. Reports swirled late last week that he skipped work after a tense disagreement with Bondi over the Epstein investigation. Though he returned to the office on Monday, insiders say his future with the Bureau remains uncertain.

Sources told CNN that Bongino took a personal day amid a heated internal clash with Bondi and her team at the DOJ.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice formally released a document this week reaffirming its position: Epstein died by suicide in August 2019, and there is no client list—a determination many conservatives continue to question.

Despite the chaos, President Trump stood by Bondi this weekend in a post on Truth Social:

“We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”

Trump praised Bondi as doing a “FANTASTIC JOB,” signaling that he remains firmly in her corner—even as prominent voices in the movement openly express doubts.

While Carlson acknowledged that Bondi likely didn’t act with ill intent, he didn’t spare her from blame.

“She’s a very nice person,” Carlson said. “I don’t think she did it on purpose. I think she’s insecure and trying to please people.”

Still, the damage is real. A growing rift has formed within the conservative movement over Epstein’s death and what many see as a continued lack of transparency—even under a MAGA-led administration.

As Bongino weighs his next move and MAGA faithful demand accountability, the Epstein case continues to haunt Washington’s corridors of power.