The Bongino Principle posits that competence, character, and qualifications are irrelevant in organizations that value only loyalty — and that no promotion is ever too imbecilic.
We can be — and oughtto be — shocked by the various scenes unfolding before us, but we cannot really be surprised can we? The chaos and the cruelty were always the point; and what did we expect from an administration crammed full of reductio ad absurdum appointees at every level?
Which, of course, brings me to the extraordinary snit-cum-meltdown playing out in Trump’s FBI. Our main character is the agency’s thoroughly absurd second-in-command, Dan Bongino, who is clashing with the only slightly less absurd attorney general over the cover-up cock-up clusterfuck handling of the Epstein files.
As the Trump-Epstein saga unfolds, incompetence is piled upon bad faith; and conspiracy theories jostle with Trumpist spin. The result: bozos are fighting with buffoons as the ringleader of the whole bangarang looks on. Who could have seen this coming? Other than absolutely everybody?2 (And, no we do not have to pick sides in a slap-fight among deplorables.)
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The Bongino Principle
The absurdity. It continues to burn.
Even amidst Trump’s harrowing of the Idiot Class for his administration, Bongino’s appointment to the FBI in February was so ridiculous that I opined that it deserved to be known henceforth as the Bongino Principle.
Some of you are old enough to remember the “Peter Principle” which posited that employees tend to be promoted until they reach the level of their incompetence.
The Bongino Principle posits that competence, character, and qualifications are irrelevant in organizations cults that value only loyalty — and that no promotion is ever too imbecilic.
Here’s a small taste of the online persona of the man who will be the FBI’s new #2:
Bongino does have some law enforcement experience, but he is best known for his low-rent conspiracism, unhinged blathering, and penchant for spreading disinformation —- including fake news about the FBI itself. Which, of course, means that he will fit comfortably into Trump’s New Order.
In a lengthy written complaint, Reuveni alleged that Emil Bove, a senior DoJ official and Trump hatchetman who was also Trump’s personal legal counsel through his criminal cases, was one of the principal proponents of a plan within the Department to defy the courts.
Specifically, in a meeting with a number of lawyers, Bove stated that the Department might need to tell the courts “fuck you” if they tried to block deportations.
The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn't have a celebrity "client list," and that he wasn't murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019.
Bongino didn't come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he's still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues.
A source close to Bongino, though, said "he ain't coming back."
Back in December of 2023, when we were so much younger and more innocent, I commented in passing on what seemed like a tiny victory for the forces of rationality:
Our collective IQs just edged a bit higher with the news that we will be hearing less from Bongo.
Fox News has ended its relationship with Dan Bongino, who hosted the Saturday night show Unfiltered with Dan Bongino. “Folks, regretfully, last week was my last show on Fox News on the Fox News Channel,” Bongino said on his podcast Thursday. “It’s tough. It’s tough to say that. You know, I’ve been there doing hits and working there for ten years...so the show ending was tough.”
“What a massive, unforced error by the Trump administration! Donald Trump would love this story to go away, but in fact interest is climbing higher and higher, to quote Jackie Wilson. Look at this, Google searches for Epstein up 1,200% this week versus last,” replied Enten. “And get this, it is currently the top topic search with Trump on Google alongside his presidency. So Donald Trump normally, you know, leans in, leans into stories in which there’s controversy, like tariffs for example. This is a story in which he’s trying to get away from, basically saying, ‘Why is anyone still interested in this story?’ But the bottom line is people are very interested in the story to historic degrees, at least this week.”
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here” - Shakespeare.
And then some
Hmm, no mention of the Epstein/Trump victims. Unsurprising—they’re just wimmins anyway, right?