Dan Bongino Announces January Exit, Trump Says Kash Patel’s Deputy At FBI Wants ‘Go Back To His Show’

by | Dec 18, 2025 | General

President Donald Trump said Dan Bongino is heading back to conservative media after the FBI’s deputy director announced he will resign in January.

Trump Predicts Bongino’s Return To Media

“Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, according to a report by Reuters.

Bongino confirmed the move on X, writing, “I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.” Reuters reported that people briefed on the matter said Bongino had already boxed up his office belongings.

Patel Praises Bongino’s Reforms, Ops And Cases

Bongino’s exit caps a rocky stint in the bureau’s No. 2 job, a role that typically goes to a career FBI agent. Reuters said the FBI Agents Association, which represents about 14,000 mostly current agents, had objected to his selection. The FBI’s own leadership bio says Director Kash Patel selected Bongino as deputy director in February 2025.

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Patel, who also took to X to praise Bongino after his announcement, said, “Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI. He brought critical reforms to make the organization more efficient, led the successful Summer Heat op, served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved cases like the pipe bomb investigation.”

“He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it,” he added.

From Agent To Influencer, Then FBI

Before his appointment to an FBI role, Bongino served as a New York City police officer and a Secret Service agent and then ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Maryland and Florida. He built a large audience during Trump’s first term through radio, podcasting and Fox News appearances, and he now has about 7 million followers on X.

Bongino reportedly began second-guessing the job by July after clashing with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of Epstein-related files. As deputy director, he walked back some past claims, including doubts about Epstein’s death, saying, “The evidence we have in our files clearly indicates that it was, in fact, a suicide.” He also retreated from earlier suggestions of a “massive cover-up” in the unsolved D.C. pipe-bomb case and hinted he may return to commentary “one day.”

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