Dan Bongino confirms FBI exit
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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino (L), accompanied by, Attorney General Pam Bondi , and FBI Director Kash Patel, during a news conference on Dec. 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Dan Bongino confirmed Wednesday he'll leave his role as FBI deputy director in January, hours after President Trump told reporters the former conservative commentator "wants to go back to his show."
The big picture: Bongino's roughly nine-month tenure at the bureau has been marked by controversy over his public comments and recent clashes with the Justice Department.
What they're saying: "I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose," Bongino said on X. "
- "Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you," he added. "God bless America, and all those who defend Her."
- Trump told reporters earlier that Bongino had done "a great job."
- The FBI declined to comment on Trump's remarks and did not immediately respond to Axios' Wednesday evening request for comment on Bongino's announcement.
Catch up quick: The statements followed an MS NOW report on Wednesday that Bongino recently cleared his office and told confidants he planned to leave early next year.
State of play: Rumors about Bongino's resignation first surfaced in July, after he took a day off following a dispute with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files.
- He previously received backlash from top Trump allies and other prominent conservatives after the FBI and Justice Department walked back claims that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was murdered or kept a "client list."
- Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel in August appointed Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to serve as bureau co-deputy director alongside Bongino, fueling speculation that his time at the bureau was nearing an end.
Catch up quick: Bongino previously promoted various conspiracy theories, including one that suggested the pipe bombs planted near the Republican and Democratic parties' headquarters in Washington, D.C. the night before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were the work of an anti-Trump insider or part of an inside job.
- He also spread falsehoods about the FBI's role in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and questioned the integrity of its investigations into the assassination attempts targeting Trump.
- Bongino escalated investigation efforts in May surrounding the 2023 discovery of cocaine at the White House and a 2022 leaked draft on the Supreme Court's landmark Dobbs ruling ahead of its overturning of Roe v. Wade abortion protections.
Flashback: "The Dan Bongino show" was ranked by Spotify as the No. 56 podcast in the U.S. when Bongino was appointed in February.
- He previously hosted a Fox News show, "Unfiltered," but left the network in 2023 after they couldn't agree on a new contract.
Zoom out: Bongino joined the U.S. Secret Service's Presidential Protection Division in 2006 during former President George W. Bush's administration, after joining the agency in 1999.
- In 2010, he transferred to the Baltimore Field Office.
- He began his career working for the NYPD and launched multiple unsuccessful bids for Congress in multiple states.
Go deeper: What to know about Dan Bongino, new FBI deputy director
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details throughout.