FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s relationship with the White House is reportedly in ruins as rumors of his departure from the agency mount.
Last week, reports emerged that Bongino did not go to work on Friday after a blow-out argument with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Epstein files. Now, CNN reports that Justice Department leaders haven’t spoken to Bongino since Wednesday, and Vice President JD Vance is attempting to mediate the conflict.
Bongino has told others he is considering resigning, and sources familiar with the situation say his relationship with the White House is basically untenable, according to CNN.
“The whole thing has been a complete mess and no one is happy,” one source told CNN on Friday.
However, Trump confirmed he spoke with Bongino over the weekend, and backed the FBI leader to remain in his role.
“I spoke to him today,” Trump told reporters Sunday after stepping off Air Force One. “Dan Bongino. Very good guy. I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve done his show many, many times. He sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he’s in good shape.”
Elon Musk entered the fray on Saturday, responding to an X user who screenshotted a particularly oddly-worded Truth Social post from Trump, in which the president urged his followers to drop the matter.
“This is in the running for worst post ever made,” wrote the X user.
“Seriously,” Musk responded. “He said ‘Epstein’ half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein.”
In the post, Trump defended his attorney general: “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!”
“We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,” he added.
Bongino clashed with Bondi at the White House on Wednesday over the recent memo from the FBI and Justice Department revealing that Jeffrey Epstein did not keep a “client list,” Axios reported. The memo also confirmed that Epstein died by suicide in a New York City jail cell on August 10, 2019, following years of conspiracy theories surrounding the disgraced financier’s death.
Bondi confronted Bongino over a NewsNation article that stated he and FBI Director Patel said they wanted more information about the Epstein files released earlier, but were held back from doing so, Axios reported.
Bongino reportedly told Bondi he didn’t leak that information.
The White House maintains that Bongino, Bondi and others are working “in lockstep and with unprecedented success.”
“President Trump has assembled an incredible team of Law and Order patriots who are committed to Making America Safe Again and restoring the integrity of our criminal justice system,” spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to The Independent. “Attorney General Bondi, Director Patel, Deputy Director Bongino, and the countless other heroes of our law enforcement community are dedicated to executing President Trump’s agenda of protecting civil rights, safeguarding communities, holding criminals accountable, and defending victims.”
The Justice Department’s memo also included a ten-hour video from outside Epstein’s cell, arguing that it shows no one entered the room before the financier died by suicide. But many conspiracy theorists online claim the video has a “missing minute” and is part of a wider cover-up effort surrounding Epstein’s death.
Bongino and Patel were previously some of the most high-profile MAGA influencers who questioned how Epstein died. A senior administration official told Axios that Bongino was in favor of releasing this video until it stirred up controversy.
The Independent has contacted the FBI for comment.
