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FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, are well-known for being conspiracy theorists in their own right, but they’re feeling the heat from MAGA world after dismissing conspiracy theories about the death of Jeffrey Epstein.
Patel and Bongino faced a wave of anger after proclaiming that the alleged sex trafficker had died by suicide — and wasn’t killed in prison, as some conspiracy theorists believe. The unproven homicide allegations have spurred wild theories that Epstein might have been killed to maintain secrecy about co-conspirators, but Patel and Bongino threw cold water on the claims during a Fox Business interview on Sunday:
And Bongino was hit with a flood of conspiratorial angst by MAGA-aligned social media accounts when he doubled down in a post about the interview on X.
“I was asked about some of the details surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case. I have reviewed the case. Jeffrey Epstein killed himself,” he wrote. “There’s no evidence in the case file indicating otherwise. I’m not asking you to believe me, or not. I’m telling you what exists, and what doesn’t. If new evidence surfaces I’m happy to reevaluate.”
And popular far-right figures, like conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, were none too happy that this tinfoil hat claim had been shot down by two of the most recognizable peddlers of fake news in the conservative movement. In a lengthy post on X, Jones called Bongino and Patel’s remarks “bulls---.”
Both Patel and Bongino arguably bear responsibility for the outrage from the MAGA faithful. Patel has previously promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory, which is centered on the baseless belief that top Democrats are involved in child sex trafficking. Bongino has said “the left is evil” and infected with “demon energy,” and he also has called for Democratic leaders to be imprisoned.
Now, much like Attorney General Pam Bondi, who also has faced backlash over Epstein, Patel and Bongino appear to be discovering the pitfalls of dealing with rabid conspiracy theorists. Some conservatives have a seemingly insatiable hunger for more details to drop from the case. But two of the figures who’ve been known to throw them red meat in the past don’t seem to have much more to offer at the moment.