Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his position and plans to step down in January.
Bongino enjoyed a successful career as a prominent podcaster and media personality before he was appointed to help lead the FBI.
In a post on X, Bongino said he “will be leaving my position with the FBI in January.”
I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January.
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) December 17, 2025
I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.
Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.
God bless America, and…
President Donald Trump chimed in on the development while speaking with reporters. “Dan did a great job,” he said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”
🚨 DAN BONGINO is LEAVING the FBI
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 17, 2025
“Dan did a GREAT JOB,” President Trump said.
Bongino is an absolute patriot. Thank you for your service, sir 🫡 pic.twitter.com/7NLXZoePrq
The New York Times published a report on Sunday suggesting that Bongino was on his way out. Several sources told the outlet that he was clearing out his office and preparing to return to Florida.
The fate of Mr. Patel’s top deputy, Dan Bongino, another incendiary former podcaster and longtime Trump loyalist, appears to be more settled, though not entirely certain.
Mr. Bongino has said he plans to leave his job as soon as this week or as late as mid-January, according to three people with knowledge of his plans.
One sign it might be sooner rather than later: Mr. Bongino has been sending office knickknacks and other possessions back to Florida, where he intends to resume his lucrative career as a pro-Trump media broadcaster in time for the midterm elections, they said.
But Mr. Bongino’s departure plans, like his brief tenure at the bureau, have been steeped in vacillation and melodrama.
This month, Mr. Bongino suggested to associates that he might go out on a high note by sharing his plans to step down at a news conference announcing the capture of a suspect in the planting of pipe bombs near the party headquarters of Democrats and Republicans on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. He even went out of his way to mend fences with Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom he had accused of bungling the investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to people briefed on the exchange.
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In July, there was speculation that Bongino was considering resigning due to his dissatisfaction with how the initial release of the Epstein Files was handled. However, he quashed those rumors and affirmed that he intended to remain in his position for the time being.
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