Dan Bongino officially resigned as FBI deputy director on Jan. 3, closing a year marked by internal reform efforts, public clashes over the Epstein files, and close alignment with President Trump.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino formally stepped down from his post on Jan. 3, marking the end of his tenure at the bureau just hours after President Donald Trump confirmed that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was in U.S. custody.
Bongino acknowledged his departure in response to a post on X praising the capture of Maduro, writing that it had been “a busy last day on the job.” He added that it would be his final message from the account, saying he would return to civilian life the following day after what he described as an “incredible year” serving under Trump’s leadership.
Calling his time in government “the honor of a lifetime,” Bongino said he was grateful to have worked alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and thanked the administration for the opportunity to serve. He concluded his message with a brief farewell, telling supporters he would see them “on the other side.”
Bongino had previously announced his intention to leave the bureau, writing in mid-December that he planned to step down in January without specifying an exact date. Trump later told reporters at Joint Base Andrews that Bongino had done a “great job” and suggested the former deputy director intended to return to his media career, including his program The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble.
Before entering media and politics, Bongino served as a New York Police Department officer and later as a U.S. Secret Service special agent. His appointment to the FBI in February 2025 marked his first role within the nation’s primary domestic intelligence and law enforcement agency.
Patel publicly acknowledged Bongino’s departure by reposting his announcement on X, later praising his performance in a separate message. In a statement issued in December, Patel said Bongino had exceeded expectations and played a key role in efforts to restore confidence in the bureau.
During his final weeks in office, Bongino highlighted the FBI’s operational statistics in a post outlining more than 50,000 arrests over the past year, including over 30,000 for violent crimes. He also cited the seizure of more than 2,000 kilograms of fentanyl, a sharp rise in arrests tied to “nihilistic violent extremism,” a significant decline in the national murder rate, and the recovery of more than 6,000 child victims.
His tenure also included public tension with the Department of Justice over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, an issue Bongino had repeatedly pressed on through his podcast. Reports of internal disputes were later reported, though Trump dismissed claims of serious friction, telling reporters that Bongino was “a very good guy” and remained in good standing.
In a separate post last July, Bongino said the FBI was committed to rooting out public corruption and ending what he described as the political weaponization of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. He later wrote that what he learned during those investigations had fundamentally changed him, warning that the country could not continue operating under such conditions.
Bongino leaves the bureau as one of the most visible figures of the Trump-era FBI leadership, returning to private life after a year that placed him at the center of law enforcement reform debates, high-profile investigations, and internal institutional conflict.
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