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NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Can't Run Republic Like This": FBI Deputy's Cryptic Post Amid Epstein Row
Washington: Former conservative radio host and current Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Dan Bongino, posted a lengthy, cryptic message on his official X account, pledging to uncover "the truth" about the corruption and "political weaponisation" at federal law enforcement that "shocked" him down to his core. Bongino - known to dial up the drama around news and spread conspiracy theories as host of "The Dan Bongino Show" - proclaimed that "we cannot run a Republic like this." It was unclear what exactly the FBI Deputy Director was referring to in the post, but it comes on the heels of several controversies surrounding the federal probe agency, including investigations into the sexual abuse case against late financier Jeffrey Epstein and charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over her use of a personal e-mail server during the Obama administration. "During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening," Bongino wrote on Saturday. Along with FBI director Kash Patel, Bongino said he is "committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations." "It is a priority for us. But what I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this. I'll never be the same after learning what I've learned," the former radio host said. He called the investigation "righteous and proper," and promised it would be done "by the book and in accordance with the law." "We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE. As with any investigation, I cannot predict where it will land, but I can promise you an honest and dignified effort at truth. Not "my truth," or "your truth," but THE TRUTH. God bless America, and all those who defend Her. Respectfully, Dan," he added. Earlier this month, Bongino was at the centre of a row over the files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. FBI's top two officials-- director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino-- both social media influencers and activists -- were among the Make America Great Again (MAGA) figures who pushed conspiracy theories around Epstein's death before Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Bongino was reportedly frustrated with leaders at the Department of Justice (DOJ) over a joint, unsigned memo released with the FBI, which said that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in prison while awaiting trial and that he did not keep a "client list." He also reportedly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the issue and was even considered to resign from his post before Trump told reporters he still has confidence in Bongino and that he was in "good shape."
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Supports Bongino Staying at FBI Amid Epstein Files Fallout
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump publicly backed FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino during a press gaggle on Sunday, stating that Bongino is staying at the FBI for now following reports of potential resignation this week. Trump described Bongino as "a very good guy" and said he believes the deputy director is "in good shape" amid ongoing tensions within the administration over the handling of Jeffrey Epstein files. Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Sunday for comment. Why It Matters Epstein, the financier and sex offender who died in prison six years ago, socialized with some of the world's most powerful people. While his death was ruled a suicide, conspiracy theories persist that he was instead killed due to his purported "client list," which many have speculated to contain the names of politicians including Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew. Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign suggested he would release files related to Epstein, with a first batch publicized in February by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. However, earlier this week, Trump and Bondi said they found "no incriminating 'client list'" related to Epstein, triggering major backlash among both Democrats and MAGA supporters. Billionaire Elon Musk last month said the government had not released records related to the case because Trump "is in the Epstein files." While the president has dismissed Musk's claim, it has sparked further interest in the government's records. What To Know Speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump revealed he had spoken with Bongino earlier on Sunday about his future at the FBI. The president expressed confidence in his deputy director, emphasizing their long-standing relationship and Bongino's regular appearances on Trump's campaign trail. Trump noted he had "done his show many, many times," referring to The Dan Bongino Show podcast, which ranked as the 56th most-popular podcast on Spotify before Bongino took his FBI position. The president's comments came amid reports that Bongino was considering resignation following a heated exchange with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the management of Epstein files. According to CNN, Bongino did not report to work on Friday, fueling speculation about his potential departure. Trump appointed Bongino to his FBI deputy director role in late February, praising him as "great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice." Bongino previously served in the New York Police Department (NYPD) and as a Secret Service agent, protecting Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday: "I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino is a very good guy. I've known him a long time. I've done his show many, many times. I think he's in good shape." The DOJ in response to a Newsweek request for comment referred to a post on X by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who wrote: "I worked closely with [FBI Director Kash Patel] and [FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino] 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 DOJ leadership on this memo's composition and release is patently false." In response to Blanche's post, far-right political activist Laura Loomer wrote on X, in part: "How come nobody signed their name to the memo? [Todd Blanche]. My sources tell me that the FBI wanted to release more information about Jeffrey Epstein, and Pam Blondi and her DOJ said NO. This has caused tension between Blondi, Kash, and Bongino. Asking for transparency isn't difficult." She added: "Blondi is literally blowing up the Trump admin by concealing information, spending time on Fox News lying to MAGA base and by releasing contradictory statements," Loomer continued. "There is information that can be released that the public wants to see. Why was the Memo released on a Sunday night on 4th of July weekend with no official signage and no names of any admin officials?" Conservative host Glenn Beck on X: "My team has filed a FOIA for all of @danbongino's texts and emails regarding Epstein to Pam Bondi. My guess is that those exchanges will tell us everything we need to know." The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Dan Bongino leaves after meeting with Republican lawmakers to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" at the U.S. Capitol on June 25, 2025 in Washington,... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Dan Bongino leaves after meeting with Republican lawmakers to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" at the U.S. Capitol on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. MoreWhat Happens Next The administration continues to navigate the fallout from the Epstein memo controversy while Trump seeks to redirect focus toward other policy priorities. Whether Bongino ultimately decides to resign remains uncertain, though his potential departure would represent another high-profile personnel change within the administration's law enforcement apparatus.
The Herald Scotland
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Epstein fallout looms large amid reports top FBI official may resign
The FBI didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. The developments come after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo July 7 stating that a "systematic review" of evidence failed to reveal any incriminating client list associated with Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges. "Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither" to combat child exploitation nor bring justice to victims, the memo said. "No further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." Many loyalists of President Donald Trump have been incensed by the memo, which followed years of suggestions by Trump associates that the government was hiding a list of Epstein clients who may have been involved in sex trafficking and that Epstein may have been murdered to prevent those names from becoming public. New York's chief medical examiner ruled in 2019 that Epstein died by suicide, and the Justice Department's memo backs up that finding. More: Trump's team promised transparency on Epstein. Here's what they delivered. The memo threw a range of conservative commentators into an uproar. "I'm going to go throw up, actually," right-wing radio show host Alex Jones said in a July 7 video post on X, as his eyes teared up. "I just really need the Trump administration to succeed ... and then for them to do something like this - tears my guts out." Bongino in 2023: 'Washington swamp' not telling truth on Epstein Bongino himself sounded alarm bells well before he took on a top role in Trump's FBI. "There are a lot of people who are knee-deep in the Washington swamp who are not telling you the truth about serious allegations out there that Epstein may have had video and audio of people out there doing things they shouldn't have been doing," Bongino said on his "The Dan Bongino Show" on May 1, 2023. "Jeffrey Epstein isn't with us anymore, and nobody seems to want to talk about it outside of a few entrepreneurial media outlets saying, 'Hey, this is a big deal,'" Bongino added. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently fanned the flames of those espousing a government cover-up about the Epstein evidence. Bondi characterized the Biden administration's effort on the case as lackluster, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity on March 3 that she had instructed the FBI to review a "truckload" of Epstein files that were delivered as a result of an order she issued in February. "It's infuriating that these people (the Biden administration) thought that they could sit on this information, but they can't. It's a new day, and we believe in transparency, and it's going to come out," Bondi said. However, Bondi largely seemed to close the door on future revelations at a July 8 cabinet meeting following the memo's release. She said various videos within the review turned out to be child sexual abuse materials, but said her department was looking for some further videos it hoped to release in connection with Epstein's jail facility. "And that's it on Epstein," Bondi said. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the second-highest official at the Justice Department after Bondi, said in a July 11 post on X that he'd worked closely with Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel on the polarizing memo and they'd mutually signed off on its contents and conclusions. "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," Blanche said.
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Epstein case fallout reaches fevered pitch with reports FBI's Dan Bongino could resign
The fallout from a Justice Department memo that appeared to close the Jeffrey Epstein case reached a fevered pitch this week amid reports that a top FBI official may resign. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, the second-highest official at the bureau, didn't come into work on July 11, various news outlets reported. What's more, the former Secret Service agent and Fox News show host is weighing leaving the bureau altogether, less than four months after joining it, according to CNN and Semafor, which each cited sources familiar with the situation. The FBI didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. The developments come after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo July 7 stating that a "systematic review" of evidence failed to reveal any incriminating client list associated with Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges. "Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither" to combat child exploitation nor bring justice to victims, the memo said. "No further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." Many loyalists of President Donald Trump have been incensed by the memo, which followed years of suggestions by Trump associates that the government was hiding a list of Epstein clients who may have been involved in sex trafficking and that Epstein may have been murdered to prevent those names from becoming public. New York's chief medical examiner ruled in 2019 that Epstein died by suicide, and the Justice Department's memo backs up that finding. More: Trump's team promised transparency on Epstein. Here's what they delivered. The memo threw a range of conservative commentators into an uproar. "I'm going to go throw up, actually," right-wing radio show host Alex Jones said in a July 7 video post on X, as his eyes teared up. "I just really need the Trump administration to succeed ... and then for them to do something like this – tears my guts out." Bongino in 2023: 'Washington swamp' not telling truth on Epstein Bongino himself sounded alarm bells well before he took on a top role in Trump's FBI. "There are a lot of people who are knee-deep in the Washington swamp who are not telling you the truth about serious allegations out there that Epstein may have had video and audio of people out there doing things they shouldn't have been doing," Bongino said on his "The Dan Bongino Show" on May 1, 2023. "Jeffrey Epstein isn't with us anymore, and nobody seems to want to talk about it outside of a few entrepreneurial media outlets saying, 'Hey, this is a big deal,'" Bongino added. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently fanned the flames of those espousing a government cover-up about the Epstein evidence. Bondi characterized the Biden administration's effort on the case as lackluster, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity on March 3 that she had instructed the FBI to review a "truckload" of Epstein files that were delivered as a result of an order she issued in February. "It's infuriating that these people (the Biden administration) thought that they could sit on this information, but they can't. It's a new day, and we believe in transparency, and it's going to come out," Bondi said. However, Bondi largely seemed to close the door on future revelations at a July 8 cabinet meeting following the memo's release. She said various videos within the review turned out to be child sexual abuse materials, but said her department was looking for some further videos it hoped to release in connection with Epstein's jail facility. "And that's it on Epstein," Bondi said. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the second-highest official at the Justice Department after Bondi, said in a July 11 post on X that he'd worked closely with Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel on the polarizing memo and they'd mutually signed off on its contents and conclusions. "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," Blanche said.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dan Bongino ‘may step down from FBI'
Dan Bongino is considering resigning from the FBI over the handling of the Epstein files. The bureau's deputy director reportedly told people he was considering stepping down amid a clash with the department of justice over the handling of the case, CNN reported. 'It's accurate that Dan Bongino has told people he's considering resigning amid a major clash between the FBI and DoJ over the fallout from the Epstein memo. (It remains to be seen if he actually does.) 'But hard to overstate the infighting happening over this the last few days as Maga anger has not let up,' Kaitlan Collins, CNN's chief White House correspondent wrote on X. Mr Bongino apparently also did not go into the office on Friday following an argument with the Pam Bondi, the attorney general, leading insiders to think he had quit. He has come under fire for failing to release a tranche of evidence relating to the paedophile financier. Tensions within Mr Trump's Maga base threatened to boil over this week after the justice department and FBI concluded Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan prison cell in 2019, and did not maintain a 'client list' of potential blackmail targets. Sources told Axios that Mr Bongino had grown increasingly unhappy with Ms Bondi for overpromising to release a 'client list' that she has since claimed never existed, saying she misspoke when referring to the list in a Fox News interview. During a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, the attorney general allegedly confronted Mr Bongino about a NewsNation article that claimed he and Kash Patel, the FBI director, had been prevented from releasing as much information about Epstein as they would have liked. The pair are said to have had a 'heated' argument in front of Mr Patel, Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, and Taylor Budowich, the deputy chief of staff, during which Mr Bongino denied leaking to the press. 'Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn't end on friendly terms,' one person briefed on the heated discussion told Axios, adding that Mr Bongino left the meeting angry. Mr Bongino, a former US Secret Service agent turned podcast host, has come in for a hammering from Maga supporters after claiming a video taken from outside Epstein's cell proved that no one had entered, and that he therefore took his own life. A conspiracy theory believed by some within the Maga movement is that Epstein was murdered to prevent the names of high-profile associates being made public. It is also rumoured that a 'list' detailing these associates exists and was to be released by the Trump administration. The White House insists such a list does not exist. Credit: Rumble / The Dan Bongino Show | Fox News The justice department and FBI on Monday released the 11-hour video in an effort to dispel rumours that the sex offender was murdered, but Maga hardliners noticed time stamps on the video skipped from 11.58pm to midnight, leading some to suspect foul play had taken place during what has been called the 'missing minute'. The discovery of the 'missing minute', caused by a lag when the surveillance system resets each evening, was blamed internally on Mr Bongino for his oversight, insiders told Axios. Despite the DoJ presenting it as 'raw' footage, it has since been claimed the video was likely modified using a professional editing tool, according to Metadata analysis by Wired. 'The fact is, Dan was for releasing the information with the video and had no problem until he got heat online,' a senior administration official told the news outlet. 'Bongino found the video with the missing minute. He vouched for it after a 'thorough review,'' he said, 'and he thought this would end the matter. When that didn't work, he lost his mind and ran out of DC'. The White House blow up is the clearest sign yet of turmoil within the administration over its handling of the Epstein files, and raises the prospect of potential sackings. One Bongino supporter told Axios: 'Dan is not the bad guy here. He shouldn't take the fall.' It comes as Maga firebrand Laura Loomer claimed Mr Bongino was 'seriously thinking about resigning'. He has not commented on Ms Loomer's claims. Ms Loomer, also wrote on X that Mr Bongino and Mr Patel were 'furious' with Ms Bondi over her 'lack of transparency' and called for the attorney general to be fired. On Friday, Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, sought to quell rumours of a split, writing on X that he 'worked closely with Patel and Bongino 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,' he said. '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.'
