FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Wednesday night that he will step down from his position in January, ending a tenure that lasted less than one year.

“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” Bongino wrote in a social media post. He thanked President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel for the opportunity to serve, adding that it was a privilege to serve the American public.

The announcement followed a day of mounting speculation about Bongino’s future at the bureau. Multiple sources said his departure had been expected, with some indicating he had already begun packing up his office and saying farewell to colleagues.

President Trump later confirmed Bongino’s exit, praising his work while suggesting the former media personality may return to broadcasting.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”

Bongino, 51, joined the Trump administration in March and served under Director Patel. One source said Bongino had planned from the outset to serve only a limited term, potentially just one year.

His time at the FBI was not without internal tension. In July, Bongino reportedly considered resigning after a heated exchange with Attorney General Bondi regarding the handling of documents connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi had issued a memo stating that no further disclosure was warranted and that there was no evidence to justify investigations into uncharged third parties.

Despite the dispute, Bongino remained in his role until announcing his departure this week.

While Bongino has not publicly outlined his next move, multiple sources believe he is likely to return to political commentary, a role he held prior to joining the administration.

With Bongino’s exit, co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey is expected to assume the full responsibilities of the position. Bailey, who previously served as Missouri’s attorney general, joined the FBI leadership in September. He played a key role in a Supreme Court challenge related to government pressure on social media companies, though the case ultimately failed.

The FBI deputy director position traditionally oversees day-to-day bureau operations. In previous administrations, the role has carried significant influence within the agency.

Before entering government service, Bongino had publicly questioned the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s 2019 death, at times suggesting foul play. Earlier this year, however, he stated he accepted the official determination that Epstein died by suicide.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is refusing to rule out the possibility that there was a wider conspiracy to assassinate Charlie Kirk that went beyond Tyler Robinson, the man alleged to have murdered Kirk last Wednesday.

Bongino’s comments came during a Monday morning interview on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer that began with Hemmer asking if “anyone” in the crowd assembled at Utah Valley University assisted Robinson.

“Well, that’s what we’re looking into now, Bill. Obviously we have a suspect in custody, it’s quite clear, that’s why I’m here discussing this individual. However, if this was a larger effort, there was any aiding and abetting, whether it be financial, whether it be someone who knew the specifics of it and failed to report that. As you heard the director say this morning, we as an FBI, our team, along with our state and local partners are looking into that,” answered Bongino before continuing:

We have a lot of technical capabilities, a lot of good investigative capabilities where we can scrub that entire network, whether it’s OSINT, open source intel through social media that people posted publicly. We’ll be looking at that. We’ll also be dropping a lot of paper, a lot subpoenas out there to take a look to see if there was any extended network.

But I want to be clear, there are things I can say, as you well know today, and things I can’t. I don’t want to get ahead or jeopardize the investigation. But what I can share with you, Bill, I will. We are clinging to transparency here. This is, you know, the era of the Cronkite and Jennings generation is over. New media now is media. And we want to be sure we can do everything in our power and do everything in our power to share what we can, when we can while still balancing the needs of the investigation.

(Read more from “FBI’s Dan Bongino Won’t Rule Out Wider Conspiracy in Charlie Kirk Assassination: ‘We’re Looking Into Everything’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr