FBI deputy director Dan Bongino to resign after clashes over Epstein files

Bongino exits after turbulent FBI stint

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on Wednesday that he plans to step down from the bureau next month, bringing to a close a short and often turbulent stint marked by clashes with the Justice Department over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the challenge of aligning his law-enforcement role with the provocative claims he previously made as a high-profile podcast host.

His exit is set to be one of the most prominent resignations of the Trump administration, at a time when the FBI has been rocked by the dismissal of career agents and as Director Kash Patel continues to face scrutiny over his use of a government aircraft for personal travel and his social media comments on ongoing investigations.

Bongino confirmed his decision in a post on X, an announcement that had been widely anticipated, saying he was thankful for the “opportunity to serve with purpose.” He did not specify the exact date of his departure in January or outline his next steps. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump was asked about Bongino’s future and responded: “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.”

From the outset, Bongino was seen as an unconventional choice for the FBI’s second-in-command role, which traditionally involves managing the bureau’s daily operations and is usually filled by a seasoned career agent. While he had prior experience as a New York City police officer and a Secret Service agent, neither Bongino nor Patel had worked at the FBI before their appointments. Both took office promising sweeping changes at a bureau they argued had been weaponised against Trump.

Bongino was installed in the role in March by Trump after years as a conservative podcast host, where he used his platform to repeatedly rail against FBI leadership and to encourage conspiracy theories related to the Epstein sex-trafficking case and pipe bombs discovered in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

Once in the job, he used social media to communicate directly to Trump supporters restless over a perceived lack of action by the new FBI leadership to address their concerns. He reassured them the FBI under his watch was giving renewed attention to issues like the pipe bomb case, the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion in 2022 and the discovery of cocaine in the White House during the Biden administration.

Yet he struggled to placate elements of Trump’s base who expected him to quickly deliver the reform he had long said was needed at the FBI and to uncover the truths he claimed had been hidden by the federal government.

On the Epstein case, for instance, he had previously challenged the official ruling that the wealthy financier had taken his own life in a New York jail soon after his 2019 arrest. But after his arrival in the bureau, he said in a Fox News interview: “I’ve seen the whole file. He killed himself.”

Bongino had separately speculated as recently as last year that the pipe bombs placed on the eve of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were an “inside job,” the truth shielded by a “massive cover-up.” He was presented with those same comments when the FBI earlier this month arrested a 30-year-old Virginia man with no evident connection to the federal government, promoting skepticism from some that investigators had actually arrested the right person.

“I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions, that's clear,” Bongino said in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity. “And one day, I'll be back in that space but that’s not what I’m paid for now. I’m paid to be your deputy director and we base investigations on facts.”

Questions about Bongino's future had lingered for months, particular after a tense exchange at the White House last July with Attorney General Pam Bondi following the abrupt announcement by the FBI and Justice Department that they would not be releasing any additional records from the Epstein investigation.

After that encounter, Bongino, normally active on social media, went silent from his FBI account for several days. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is close to Trump, posted on X at the time that she was told that Bongino was “seriously thinking about resigning” and had taken the day off to contemplate his future.

In August, the Trump administration took the unusual step of adding a co-deputy director, former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

(With inputs from AP)