Topline
Prominent right-wing commentator Dan Bongino has been banned from YouTube, a spokesperson for the platform told Forbes, after violating the terms of an earlier suspension for spreading Covid disinformation.
Key Facts
Bongino's YouTube channels were suspended and ads yanked from them earlier this month over a video in which he falsely claimed masks are "useless" in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
YouTube instructed Bongino not to upload any content for seven days, but a spokesperson said a video was uploaded to Bongino's main channel during the suspension period, leading to the permanent ban.
Bongino's main YouTube channel had about 869,000 subscribers at the time of his suspension.
Chief Critic
Bongino did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes, but he retweeted a post from his website, the Bongino Report, Wednesday afternoon saying "@YouTube communists desperately try to save face after we told them to go f%^* themselves." The tweet also claimed the video posted in violation of the suspension guidelines was called “Why I’m Leaving YouTube.”
Key Background
Bongino is one of the most powerful voices in conservative media. He is host of the radio show The Dan Bongino Show, which took over the time slot of the late Rush Limbaugh's show in many markets last year, and also hosts a Fox News show on Saturdays called Unfiltered with Dan Bongino. His Facebook page is one of the most popular news sources on the platform, regularly accounting for the most popular link posts, along with the pages of fellow right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro and conservative pastor Franklin Graham.
Tangent
Bongino has quickly risen to the top of conservative media after being hired as a Fox News contributor in 2019. Prior to becoming a commentator, Bongino served as a New York City police officer, Secret Service agent and made three unsuccessful runs for Congress.
Further Reading
YouTube Suspends Fox News Host Dan Bongino For Covid Disinformation (Forbes)
Fox News’ Dan Bongino Leads Conservative News Resurgence On Facebook (Forbes)
How Dan Bongino went from a failed congressional candidate to one of the kings of conservative media (Insider)
