President Donald Trump did not say for sure that Dan Bongino is still serving as deputy director of the FBI.
“Oh, I think so,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday when asked if the former right-wing podcaster is still No. 2 at the agency.
“I spoke to him today,” he added. “Dan Bongino. Very good guy. I’ve known him a long time. I’ve done his show many, many times. And he sounded terrific actually. No, I think he’s in good shape.”
Reports swirled over the weekend that Bongino quit or was at least considering leaving his role following a clash with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The White House and FBI did not immediately return requests from the Daily Beast for comment.
The Justice Department and FBI released a memo on July 7 refuting right-wing conspiracy theories about the Epstein files. It said Epstein, a convicted sex offender, had died by suicide in 2019 and concluded there was no “client list” implicating powerful figures associated with him. Officials do not plan to release any more documents related to the disgraced financier’s case, the memo said.
That drew outrage from many Trump supporters, with much of the anger directed at Bondi, who previously indicated a client list did exist. She and Trump had both suggested his administration would release more Epstein case materials.
Sources told Axios that Bongino didn’t show up at work on Friday, leading insiders to believe he had quit. One source told the outlet, “he ain’t coming back.” Bongino told people he was thinking about resigning but had not made up his mind, CNN reported.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer posted on X that Bongino and FBI director Kash Patel were “LIVID” at Bondi “over her DOJ Memo and the lack of transparency from her office regarding the Jeffery Epstein files.”
Bongino once trafficked in Epstein conspiracy theories, but changed course after assuming his role at the FBI. In a Fox News appearance last month, he said Epstein had clearly died by suicide, angering MAGA supporters on social media.
Tensions reportedly boiled over in the White House this week when Bongino and Patel were confronted about the leak of a story suggesting that they wanted more information released on Epstein, but were prevented from doing so by the DOJ. Bongino denied being the source, according to CNN.
White House and Justice Department officials have pushed back on the idea that there was a rift between DOJ and FBI leadership.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a social media post on Friday that he had worked closely with Patel and Bongino on the joint Epstein memo.
“All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo,“ he wrote. ”The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”
I worked closely with @FBIDirectorKash and @FBIDDBongino on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files. All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo. The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and…
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) July 11, 2025
White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said Trump’s team was carrying out its work “seamlessly and with unity.”
“Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all,” he said, according to CNN.
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