FBI deputy Bongino sidelined after confronting Bondi over Epstein

On July 7, 2025, the DOJ and FBI released an unsigned two-page memo concluding their exhaustive review of Jeffrey Epstein's investigative files. The memo found no evidence of a 'client list,' no credible evidence of blackmail by Epstein, and confirmed the medical examiner's finding that Epstein died by suicide. This directly contradicted what AG Pam Bondi had told Fox News in February.

Two days later, on July 9, FBI Deputy Director DBDan Bongino confronted Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at a White House meeting. Multiple sources said Bongino raised his voice at both officials before storming out. A person who spoke with Bongino described him as 'out of control furious' and quoted him as saying 'This destroyed his career.'

AG Bondi had set the stage for the blowup months earlier. On February 21, Fox News host John Roberts asked Bondi about releasing Epstein's client list. Bondi responded: 'It's sitting on my desk right now to review.' She told other interviewers that 'everything is going to come out to the public.' The July memo made clear those promises couldn't be kept.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche tried to tamp down the fallout. He posted on social media that all parties had 'signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions,' calling suggestions of disagreement 'patently false.' But multiple sources from inside the DOJ and FBI contradicted that claim.

On July 11, Bongino didn't report to work. CNN and NBC reported he was considering resigning. Sources said he threatened to 'quit and torch Pam unless she's fired.' The White House released a statement calling attempts to 'sow division within this team' baseless.

A week later, on July 18, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent letters to Bondi, Patel, and Bongino demanding answers. Durbin revealed that FBI personnel in the Information Management Division had been put on 24-hour shifts to review roughly 100,000 Epstein records and were instructed to 'flag' any documents mentioning President Trump.

On August 18, Trump announced he was appointing 🌉Missouri AG ABAndrew Bailey as co-deputy director alongside Bongino. The FBI had never had two deputy directors before. Bailey was sworn in on September 15 and gradually took over meetings Bongino had been expected to handle. The move effectively sidelined Bongino without formally removing him.

Bongino announced on December 17, 2025, that he would resign in January. He officially left on January 3, 2026, after less than 10 months on the job. Bongino had been appointed as deputy director on March 17, 2025. He was a former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent with no prior FBI experience who had spent the previous decade as a conservative podcaster.