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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino plans to leave his post soon.
Then just after 5:15 p.m., Bongino posted to X, "I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her."
Asked about the earlier reports, Trump praised Bongino’s tenure and indicated the move would be voluntary.
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“Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” Trump said, referring to Bongino’s previous career as a conservative podcaster.
When reached by Newsweek earlier on Wednesday via email for comment, the FBI declined to comment on Bongino's future with the bureau.
Why It Matters
Bongino's time at the FBI has been marked by controversy over his handling of the Epstein files saga—in which the Trump administration backtracked on releasing more documents related to the case despite campaign promises—as well as being forced to reconcile the realities of his law enforcement job with provocative claims he made in his prior role as a popular podcast host.
What To Know
Trump, speaking ahead of his address to the nation Wednesday night, at Joint Base Andrews, revealed he had spoken with Bongino on Sunday about his future at the FBI.
The departure, which had been expected, will be among the highest-profile resignations of the Trump administration. It comes as FBI leadership has been buffeted by criticism over Director Kash Patel’s use of a government plane for personal purposes and social media posts about active investigations. The president also said Wednesday afternoon that he remains confident in Patel.
Bongino was always an unconventional pick for the number two job at the FBI, a position that historically has entailed oversight of the bureau’s day-to-day operations and typically held by a career agent.
Though he had previously worked as a New York City police officer and Secret Service agent, neither he nor Patel had any experience at the FBI before being chosen for their jobs.
Nonetheless, Bongino in March was installed in the role by Trump after years as a far-right podcast host, where he used his platform to repeatedly rail against the FBI and encourage conspiracy theories related to the Epstein sex-trafficking case and pipe bombs discovered in Washington on January 6, 2021.
Once in the position, Bongino struggled to placate quadrants of Trump’s base who expected him to quickly deliver the reform he had claimed was needed at the FBI and to uncover the hidden truths he spoke of pertaining to 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 once in the FBI, 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 January 6 Capitol attack were an “inside job” and part of a “massive cover-up.” But after the FBI earlier this month arrested a 30-year-old Virginia man with no evident connection to the federal government, Bongino was pressed about his prior comments.
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What People Are Saying
Bongino, in an interview with Fox News on the pipe bombs case earlier in December: “I was paid in the past for my opinions. One day I will 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.”
California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, in a post to X in February following Bongino's appointment: "Selecting another right-wing Fox personality and internet troll — Dan Bongino — as Deputy FBI Director means two things: Trump installs another loyalist who won’t say no to any immoral or unethical act. And our law enforcement agencies — and the public safety — are further degraded."
What's Next
Bongino said he will leave his role next month. The Justice Department and FBI have a Friday deadline to release more of the Epstein files.
This article contains reporting by the Associated Press.
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