Dan Bongino Makes a Big Decision About His Future

The FBI deputy director put the rumors to rest with a short social media post.

The rumors had been swirling for a while, but on the afternoon of Dec. 17, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino revealed that he would indeed be stepping down. He will remain in his position until January 2026, completing ten months as Director Kash Patel’s number two.

In a Dec. 17 post on the social media platform X, Bongino said:

“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.”

Dan Bongino Rumors and Truths

A former political podcaster who had previously served with the New York City Police Department and the US Secret Service, Dan Bongino seemed at times to find himself at odds with his Department of Justice superiors. How much of the friction is media fiction and how much is true is hard to say.

However, it was widely reported that he had a falling out, earlier in the year, with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the botched handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Prior to his nomination as the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino had speculated that Epstein may have been murdered in prison – something that a significant number of Americans still believe or at least suspect.

The official story has always been that Epstein, a sexual predator and sex trafficker, committed suicide while awaiting trial. During a Fox News interview not long after taking up his new role, Bongino asserted, “I’ve seen the whole file. [Epstein] killed himself.” He also once told Fox that he did not enjoy his position at the FBI but was serving out of a sense of duty and because he had been called to do so.

Reportedly, Bongino has already cleared his office and begun shipping belongings back to Florida. Other sources close to the FBI have disputed such claims.

Describing any specific reason or reasons for his departure would be pure speculation. Certain sources claim that Bongino never intended to serve in the FBI for more than one year.

Still, it is true that the Bureau – even as it attempts to salvage its reputation after years of political weaponization under former directors James Comey and Christopher Wray – has stumbled a few times since Patel took the helm. It is certainly possible that frustration with these missteps led to Bongino’s decision.

The handling of the Epstein files was a debacle – though perhaps that one should lie at Pam Bondi’s feet, rather than at the FBI’s door. The matter of the J6 pipe bomber was another fumble, as the Bureau fingered the wrong person.

More recently, the Bureau has yet to identify the gunman who killed two Brown University students and wounded several others on Dec. 13. A suspect was detained the following day but then released.

Maybe It’s Just Time to Move On

At the same time, there have been a lot of successes. Thousands of children brought into the United States illegally and trafficked during Joe Biden’s presidency have been located and rescued. Several individuals on the FBI’s “most wanted” list have been arrested, and multiple sex trafficking and pedophile rings have been busted.

President Donald Trump, in response to the news of Bongino’s decision, told reporters, “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.”

Will Dan Bongino himself reveal the motivation behind his departure when he returns to podcasting, as he surely will? It seems likely he will address it at some point. It’s also likely that he will not point any fingers of blame or air any dirty laundry, since that will just provide ammunition to Trump’s political foes in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections.

And perhaps, after all, there is no drama to be found. Maybe returning to a lucrative podcasting gig in Florida is simply an attractive proposition to Dan Bongino. Perhaps he feels he’s done his part and doesn’t relish staying in Washington, DC, shouldering the scrutiny and pressure that comes with being the second most senior official in the country’s pre-eminent law enforcement agency.