Dan Bongino is Done: Resignation Announced

Photo of FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino from abcnews.com.

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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bogino is leaving the FBI less than a year after taking the position. The resignation comes after months of a tumultuous tenure, rocked by conflict and supervisory incompetence.

What Happened

“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG [Pam] Bondi, and Director [Kash] Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose,” Bongino wrote on X, after President Trump confirmed earlier news reports that Bongino planned to step down. His resignation coincides with a recent FBI bumble which is one of many in a series of incompetence.

On December 13, a mass shooting took place on the campus of Brown University. A gunman entered the campus and killed at least two students. Another nine were reported injured. Although police arrived within minutes, the suspect had already escaped. A day after the shooting, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X a person of interest was in custody. The problem was, it was the wrong guy, and they had to release him. And this wasn’t the first time Patel had made such a serious blunder.

In September of 2025, Patel announced the killer of Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk had been arrested. However, like in the Brown University case, it was the wrong suspect. These continued feats of incompetence has dented the credibility of the FBI. They have also made the agency a joke on the international stage. It makes sense for Bongino to choose this time to announce his departure. But there are still loose ends his followers feel he failed at.

A Man of Principles and Conspiracies

Donald Trump pulled Dan Bongino directly from the podcast to the White House. Bongino built a career off of conspiracies, alleging the government was covering up the Epstein Files. He wanted the files released and the men within them to be prosecuted. His audience did too. So, when he was selected to be FBI Deputy Director, they thought they would finally have the truth. They soon realized they wouldn’t.

Shortly after Donald Trump won office, a self-assured U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that the Epstein Files were “sitting on my desk right now.” A few months later, she said, “There is no list.” This complete 180 gave Americans and Bongino whiplash. It was almost like an outer-body experience within the Twilight Zone. This is where the amber of tension between Bongino and the very government he worked for began to catch fire.

Immediately after Bondi’s claim that the Epstein files were nonexistent, there was a media uproar. And after trying unsuccessfully to divert attention, the FBI released video footage of the jail Epstein was in. Bondi and Bongino had claimed the video would prove Epstein was not killed. It did anything but that.

Although the FBI told the public the video was raw and unedited, video analysts found that at least a minute of footage had been clipped and the video had been manipulated using Adobe Photoshop. It was a damning discovery that pit the American public against the White House. It might’ve been too much for the serious Bongino to handle.

Sometime during the video farce, reports began leaking about Bongino’s intent to quit. This was supported by his absence from the office in the following days. However, Bongino returned, and the rumors faded to the background of a noisy news cycle. And then the Brown University shooting happened, and Patel once again embarrassed the FBI and Bongino alike.

Now, amid the controversy and incompetence infecting his department, Bongino is calling it quits. After spending years as a podcaster opining about the Epstein Files coverup, he must’ve thought access to the truth came with his position. He found that his position was no more than words on a page. It came with no power. It gave him no leverage.

Dan Bongino won’t be bringing light to the dark corners where the truth has been hidden. The system can’t be exposed because his boss is the system. Elon Musk once wrote on X, “realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” Bongino now understands this was not just an insult. It was the truth he had been seeking all along.

The Takeaway

Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino has announced his resignation. It will be effective in January of 2026. He came to the White House fresh off a podcast where he slung wild conspiracy theories. They seemed crazy, but they weren’t just the crazy ramblings of a guy behind a microphone. These were ideas he wholeheartedly believed in, along with his audience. He probably thought taking the job would give him the leverage to find and expose the truth. All he found was an impenetrable brick wall of incompetence and lies.

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