Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino plans to leave the bureau next month.
Bongino posted his farewell announcement on X on Wednesday. Bongino’s message came soon after President Donald Trump hinted at Bongino’s departure in comments made on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews, saying of Bongino, “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
“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,” said Bongino.
Trump appointed Bongino to the bureau in February. Bongino, before his career in conservative media, served in the New York Police Department and Secret Service. In the media, he was an adept watchdog over the Department of Justice and FBI, especially on scandals such as Operation Crossfire Hurricane and the Jeffrey Epstein saga.
Bongino recently wrapped one of his priorities for the FBI since coming into the deputy director role: identifying the suspected pipe bomber who planted bombs outside the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021. Attorney General Pam Bondi noted in a press conference that arresting the suspected bomber was “the best birthday present” Bongino could have asked for.
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The Department of Justice under Bondi has been roiled by controversies over the past year, including its handling of the so-called Epstein files and prosecutions targeting some of Trump’s chief antagonists.
White House chief-of-staff Susie Wiles was critical of Bondi in comments published recently in Vanity Fair. Wiles said Bondi mishandled the investigation into Epstein when she released old information to a group of right-wing reporters and internet influencers.
“I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this,” Wiles said of the attorney general. “First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.”
Wiles was more complimentary of the FBI leadership.
“The people that really appreciated what a big deal this is are Kash [Patel] and [FBI deputy director] Dan Bongino,” she said. She noted that, before they were inside the department, Patel and Bongino had been two of the loudest voices calling for transparency on Epstein, suspecting that information on his connections to some elites had been buried in non-public government records.
After joining the FBI, Patel and Bongino investigated their hunch about the Epstein files. They later came to the conclusion that the so-called secret files did not exist, and said as much publicly.
The handling of the Epstein probe sparked tensions within the Justice Department. Bongino reportedly took issue with Bondi’s handling of the situation in particular. At the time, the deputy head of the FBI was rumored to be on the way out over frustrations with the attorney general.
