Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino provided combative testimony Wednesday and Thursday in a Las Vegas trial over the ouster of social media app Parler’s CEO .
Bongino, a right-wing media personality who served in the current Trump administration, at one point owned 7.5 percent of Parler. The app was founded in Henderson in 2018 as a conservative-friendly alternative to Twitter, now known as X. He is a defendant in the case.
The ongoing trial in District Court stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by John Matze , the company’s former CEO. Matze has alleged that he was improperly forced out . His ouster came after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, during which critics and journalists said rioters used the app. The company was thrown into tumult and removed from major technology platforms.
On the witness stand, Bongino frequently claimed he could not recall or did not know the answers to questions from Matze attorney James Pisanelli. At times, he argued with Pisanelli about the way the lawyer phrased his questions.
Parler was removed from the Apple app store on Jan. 9, 2021. Two days later, Amazon pulled Parler from its hosting service.
Pisanelli suggested that Bongino’s ...