Conservative commentator Dan Bongino has been banned from YouTube over COVID misinformation shortly after he pledged to leave the video-sharing social network.
YouTube had issued a seven-day suspension on Bongino's secondary YouTube channel on January 20 for claiming that face masks are "useless" in preventing the spread of COVID-19. His claim violated YouTube's policy forbidding COVID-19 misinformation.
However, Bongino allegedly tried to circumvent the suspension by posting videos on the YouTube channel for The Dan Bongino Show. This attempt triggered a permanent ban, YouTube said. His main YouTube channel had nearly 869,000 subscribers before it was suspended.
"When a channel receives a strike, it is against our Terms of Service to post content or use another channel to circumvent the suspension," YouTube said in a statement. "If a channel is terminated, the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels."
Both of Bongino's accounts have since been removed from the site. He will not be able to create new channels, YouTube added.
Bongino disputes YouTube's version of events.
Hilarious watching the @YouTube communists desperately try to save face after we told them to go f%^* themselves.
They’re claiming we “tried to evade suspension.” Really? By posting a final video LITERALLY titled “Why I’m Leaving YouTube”? 🤦🤦
"Hilarious watching the @YouTube communists desperately try to save face after we told them to go f%^* themselves," Bongino wrote in a Wednesday tweet. "They're claiming we 'tried to evade suspension.' Really? By posting a final video LITERALLY titled 'Why I'm Leaving YouTube'?"
His tweet ended with two facepalm emojis.
In the video that Bongino referenced, he announced that he would upload all of his future videos exclusively to Rumble. Rumble is a video-sharing website that became especially popular among conservatives after the 2020 election loss of then-President Donald Trump. Bongino has 2.06 million followers on Rumble, according to the site.
"YouTube attempted a poorly executed 'you can't break up with me if I break up with you first' approach, and decided to ban Dan from the platform he just left and was never going to post to again," The Dan Bongino Show stated in a Wednesday post.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2021, Bongino pledged to fund critical tech infrastructure to offer alternatives to mainstream businesses that refuse to host conservative voices.
Bongino became a prominent conservative media figure after joining Fox News as a contributor in 2019.
The commentator regularly appeared on Hannity before getting his own show on the network, Unfiltered with Dan Bongino. Bongino also hosts a three-hour radio show, The Dan Bongino Show, as well as the podcast Bongino Report.
Previously, Bongino worked as a New York City police officer and a Secret Service agent. He has also launched three unsuccessful runs for Congress.
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