Dan Bongino to Step Down as Deputy FBI Director Within a Year of Appointment
Bongino resigns with cryptic message to Trump.
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, New York City police officer, and prominent conservative media personality, formally announced his intention to resign from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's second-highest leadership position effective January 2026, concluding a tenure that lasted fewer than ten months since his appointment in March 2025.
In a concise statement posted on the social media platform X, the 51-year-old Bongino expressed profound appreciation to President Donald Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and newly installed FBI Director Kash Patel for granting him the privilege to serve, yet notably omitted any explicit explanation for his decision to depart the agency prematurely.
President Trump, responding to inquiries from reporters, offered his interpretation of the resignation, commending Bongino's contributions by affirming that he "did a great job" while suggesting that the former deputy seeks to revive his immensely popular podcast, which had previously commanded one of the largest audiences in American media.
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Throughout Bongino's abbreviated stint at the FBI—a role historically occupied by seasoned career officials rather than political appointees with extensive broadcasting backgrounds—multiple reports emerged detailing persistent internal frictions, particularly with Attorney General Bondi, contributing to an atmosphere of operational strain within the Justice Department's upper echelons.
Renowned for his eponymous podcast that frequently disseminated controversial narratives, including repeated assertions that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimately taken from Trump, Bongino's unconventional elevation to deputy director had represented a significant break from longstanding FBI traditions, underscoring the administration's preference for aligning key law enforcement positions with loyalists from outside the bureau's professional ranks.
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