FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino Announces Plans to Resign Next Month

Dan Bongino, FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

BY  NEWS BLEND 360

Updated 8:25 PM EST, December 17, 2025

WASHINGTON (NB360) — FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on Wednesday that he will step down from the bureau next month, concluding a brief and turbulent period marked by conflicts with the Justice Department over the Jeffrey Epstein files and the challenge of aligning his law enforcement duties with the bold statements he made in his previous role as a well-known podcast host.

This resignation is set to be one of the most notable during the Trump administration, amidst the dismissal of career agents that has caused disruption at the FBI, and as Director Kash Patel continues to face criticism for using a government plane for personal trips and making social media posts about ongoing investigations.

Bongino confirmed his anticipated departure in a post on X, expressing gratitude for the “opportunity to serve with purpose.” He did not specify the exact date in January he would leave or his future plans, but President Donald Trump, when asked earlier about Bongino’s future, commented: “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.”

Bongino was always an unconventional pick for the No. 2 job at the FBI, a position that historically has entailed oversight of the bureau’s day-to-day operations and has been 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 picked for their jobs. But both came in pledging overhauls to an FBI they insisted had been weaponized against Trump.

In March, Trump appointed Bongino to the position after his tenure as a conservative podcast host, where he frequently criticized FBI leadership and promoted conspiracy theories related to the Epstein sex-trafficking case and the pipe bombs found in Washington on January 6, 2021.

Once in the role, he used social media to directly address Trump supporters who were frustrated with what they saw as inaction by the new FBI leadership. He assured them that under his leadership, the FBI was revisiting 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.

However, he faced challenges in satisfying segments of Trump’s base who expected him to swiftly implement the reforms he had long advocated for at the FBI and to uncover the truths he alleged were concealed by the federal government.

Regarding the Epstein case, he had previously disputed the official conclusion that the wealthy financier committed suicide in a New York jail shortly after his 2019 arrest. But after joining the bureau, he stated in a Fox News interview: “I’ve seen the whole file. He killed himself.”

Bongino had also speculated as recently as last year that the pipe bombs placed on the eve of the January 6 Capitol riot were an “inside job,” covered up by a “massive cover-up.” These comments resurfaced when the FBI recently arrested a 30-year-old Virginia man with no apparent ties to the federal government, leading some to doubt whether investigators had apprehended the correct individual.

“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 persisted for months, especially after a tense exchange at the White House last July with Attorney General Pam Bondi following the unexpected announcement by the FBI and Justice Department that no additional records from the Epstein investigation would be released.

Following that encounter, Bongino, who was usually active on social media, went silent on his FBI account for several days. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a close associate of Trump, posted on X at the time that she had heard Bongino was “seriously thinking about resigning” and had taken the day off to consider his future.

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