In a fiery segment on *Fox News Channel’s* “The Five,” Dan Bongino delivered a sharp rebuttal to co-host Jessica Tarlov’s relentless criticism of Donald Trump. The clash came as discussions around Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents dominated the political conversation in 2022, with Tarlov taking aim at the former president’s rhetoric and legal challenges.
Tarlov began her critique by claiming Trump’s defenses had “exploded in his face,” citing examples she deemed self-incriminating. “All of Trump’s talking points have exploded in his face, whether it’s on stuff that he has released on his Truth Social account or the people that he has dispersed all over television to proliferate his lies, including his own children,” Tarlov argued. She dismissed Trump’s comparisons to Barack Obama’s handling of classified materials, asserting, “The National Archives released a statement that President Obama fulfilled protocols…following respect for the law.”
Bongino, never one to back down, responded forcefully. When Tarlov accused him of calling Attorney General Merrick Garland a “loser,” Bongino doubled down: “Oh, he’s a loser…a real loser…a genuine loser…an actual loser.” He accused Garland of abandoning his oath of office by targeting Trump, proclaiming, “He is burning down the Constitution targeting this guy, and you don’t know what’s in there either.”
The exchange grew even more heated when Bongino shifted the focus to what he sees as selective justice in the legal system. He pointed to the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, which was largely ignored by mainstream media at the time, as a glaring example of hypocrisy. “I can tell you what was on the Hunter Biden laptop—actual pictures of him with hookers, smoking crack,” Bongino said, highlighting what he described as the double standard of holding Trump accountable while dismissing Democratic scandals. “And Hillary Clinton literally paid a foreign spy for the Steele dossier hoax, and you’re calling the Democrat Party a paragon of justice?”
Tarlov, undeterred, launched another tirade, accusing Trump of disregarding the rule of law. “The former president has no respect for the rule of law,” she charged. “He called Brad Raffensperger up and said, ‘Find me 11,853 votes’ when he didn’t like what was happening in Georgia. He wanted to stop the count in Arizona and continue it in Pennsylvania. And we saw what happened on January 6.”
Bongino was quick to challenge her assertions, accusing Tarlov of twisting the facts. “Now you’re making that up,” he fired back, prompting an indignant “No I’m not!” from Tarlov. Bongino countered with evidence, noting, “He actually met with them on June 3, according to multiple sources.”
The heated debate underscored the stark divisions not only within the panel but also in the broader political landscape. Bongino’s passionate defense of Trump and critique of a seemingly partisan justice system resonated with many viewers who believe the former president has been unfairly targeted. Meanwhile, Tarlov’s staunch opposition reflects the entrenched skepticism among Trump’s critics.
This electrifying exchange on *The Five* is emblematic of the larger culture war gripping the nation—a clash between those who see Trump as a defender of American values and those who view him as a disruptor of the rule of law. One thing is certain: debates like this are far from over, and the stakes for America’s political future have never been higher.
