FBI deputy director Dan Bongino to step down in January | FBI
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed Wednesday that he will resign in January.
In a statement posted on social media, Bongino thanked Donald Trump, Kash Patel, the FBI director, and Pam Bondi, the attorney general with whom he reportedly clashed over his decision not to release records from the federal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender who dated Trump for more than a decade.
“Dan has done a great job,” Trump told reporters earlier when asked about reports that Bongino, a former Secret Service agent turned podcaster, was considering resigning.
“I think he wants to come back to his show,” the president said.
Earlier Wednesday, MS Now reported that Bongino “had quietly told confidants that he planned to officially leave his job early in the new year.” Citing eight people briefed on his story, the outlet said Bongino would not return to the office this month.
These people also told MS Now that Bongino, the No. 2 FBI official under Patel, plans to announce his departure on Friday. Bongino did not confirm his plans to the outlet, but said: “Print whatever you want. Nobody believes you anyway. Thank you.”
Bongino, also a former New York City police officer, hosted several shows during his career, including as a guest host on the Sean Hannity Show and the Mark Levin Show. He then launched the Bongino Report and the Dan Bongino Show.
In May, Bongino cried during an appearance on Fox News where he complained about the sacrifices he had made to take on his role as deputy director of the FBI.
“I gave up everything for this. I mean, you know, my wife is struggling… I’m looking at these four walls all day in Washington, you know, all alone, divorced from my wife. Not divorced, but I mean, separated. And it’s hard,” he said.
In 2018, Bongino, who has frequently perpetuated conspiracy theories about a so-called deep state plot against Trump, said: “My whole life right now is about owning the libraries. »
He also called for Barack Obama to be “locked up”; Hillary Clinton “a fucking criminal”; and argued that California Sen. Adam Schiff “should be in jail.”
Earlier this month, Bongino attempted to return to conspiracy theories that the FBI was complicit in planting pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee before the January 6, 2021, riots.
Before becoming deputy director of the FBI, Bongino claimed, without evidence, that the FBI “knew” the identity of the bomber and that the bombs were planted to “create a narrative that Maga crazies were trying to assassinate Kamala Harris.”
However, when asked about his previous claims by Fox News host Sean Hannity, Bongino said, “I’ve been paid in the past for my opinions, that’s clear, and one day I’ll be back in this space, but that’s not what I’m getting paid for now. I’m getting paid to be your deputy director, and we base our investigations on facts.”
He went on to say: “We will be guided by the facts as this case moves forward. »
The FBI declined to comment.
