Dan Bongino launched a fiery public attack against Chris Cuomo on Monday, calling the NewsNation host a “fraud” and accusing him of criticizing him publicly while privately trying to book him for appearances on his television program.
The heated exchange erupted after Cuomo questioned Bongino’s handling of the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a lengthy and sharply worded response from the former FBI deputy director.
Cuomo posted on X asking his followers why “ANY of you are ok with bongino” — using Bongino’s name in lowercase — “saying this after he did you dirty on epstein?”
The remark came after Bongino criticized Tucker Carlson, saying he was waiting for Carlson to give him permission to release text messages exchanged between the two. Cuomo’s post drew an immediate response from Bongino, who argued the television host had no reason to insert himself into the dispute.
“Did you dirty? What the f*ck are you talking about? I busted my ass on that case,” Bongino wrote. “Did you miss that entire news cycle?”
Did you dirty? What the fuck are you talking about? I busted my ass on that case. Did you miss that entire news cycle?
Remember when you kissed my ass when I saw at the UFC? Remember your people begging me to be on your shitty show? (Receipts attached). You’re a fraud. Go back… pic.twitter.com/XacP1XXl3n— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) July 6, 2026
Bongino then shifted his attention directly toward Cuomo, accusing him of acting differently in private than he does in public.
“Remember when you kissed my ass when I saw [you] at the UFC?” Bongino wrote. “Remember your people begging me to be on your sh*tty show? (Receipts attached). You’re a fraud. Go back to posing naked in your backyard while playing with life sized Q-Tips with your brother.”
To support his claims, Bongino included screenshots that appeared to show text messages from someone he identified as a producer for Cuomo’s NewsNation program repeatedly asking him to appear as a guest.
According to the screenshots, one message dated Jan. 14 read, “Hey dan- don’t want to keep blowing you up if you aren’t interested but I wanna get you on with Chris Cuomo. Can we chat to find a night to have you speak with him?”
The article states that Bongino did not respond to the message.
Twelve days later, another text was reportedly sent asking whether he would be interested in appearing on the show. After receiving no reply, the same sender reached out again four days later to ask if Bongino wanted to make the interview happen.
The article says Bongino again did not respond to any of the requests.
Bongino also used the exchange with Cuomo to revisit the ongoing debate over the release of Epstein-related records.
As part of his response, he posted a screenshot from a recent New York Times article that said he had urged officials within the Trump administration to take a more aggressive approach toward releasing Epstein files.
According to the report, Bongino emphasized that the issue extends beyond online debate.
“It’s not an online story,” Bongino said, according to the article. “You don’t understand.”
The social media clash quickly escalated as both the Epstein controversy and Bongino’s criticism of other public figures continued to draw attention online.
As of 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday, several hours after Bongino published his response and shared the screenshots, Cuomo had not publicly responded to the accusations or the messages Bongino posted.
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