Former Republican staffer calls out ex-Fox host for ‘open threat’ to Kellyanne Conway: ‘Disturbing’

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

A former GOP staffer turned media contributor has called out an ex-Fox News host for claiming Kellyanne Conway “sabotaged” Donald Trump.

On an episode of The Dan Bogino Show Wednesday, former Fox News host Dan Bongino accused Conway and other Republican operatives of leaking stories claiming Trump regrets picking JD Vance as his running mate to media outlets, such as The Daily Mail.

“I’m going to say to Kellyanne and others: it’s time to pipe down. You’ve been warned. I’ve had about enough,” Bongino said.

Kurt Bardella, a former staffer for several GOP lawmakers and current contributor for NewsNation, condemned Bongino’s comments on social media.

“I’m no defender of @KellyannePolls but this is an open threat that could only lead to violence and should be widely condemned by anyone who cares about the public discourse,” Bardella wrote on X.

“This is not ok,” he continued. “It is downright disturbing and unacceptable.”

In a statement to The Independent, Bongino accused Bardella of “trying to cover up a massive scandal by pumping bull****, left wing media talking points to distract from our devastating reporting.”

Conway, for her part, denied accusations that she criticized Vance, claiming she was not “anti-Vance” but rather “pro-[Senator Marco Rubio],” who was reportedly considered for Trump’s running mate. Conway served as Donald Trump’s campaign manager in 2016 before becoming a senior adviser 2017-2020.

One report from The Bulwark claimed Conway regularly criticized Vance and claimed Trump would pick him over her “dead body.”

The former Fox News host, who was ousted from the network last year over a contract dispute, called the idea that Trump may regret picking Vance “absolute bulls***.”

“There’s a lot of internal sabotage going on right now that I honestly did not want to highlight because I like to stay focused on the Democrats and I was hoping it would go away,” Bongino said.