Deputy Director Dan Bongino is leaving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in early 2026, as he announced in a post on X, and President Donald Trump has revealed what the seeming cause of that decision to leave is, something he revealed when praising Bongino and thanking him for his time in the position.
As background, Bongino’s decision to leave came after media reports revealed that his departure was widely expected at the Bureau after he had cleaned out his office and desk, with early reports saying that he was weighing departure, and it then quickly emerged that he would be leaving for good.
Many suspected, as those reports began to surface, that Bongino is leaving because he is frustrated with the administration’s handling of a number of issues regarding the Department of Justice and FBI, particularly the slow rollout of the Epstein files and like matters of friction with AG Bondi and Kash Patel.
Bongino didn’t get into that in his post announcing his decision to depart the leadership role, and instead posted vague generalities. Beginning, he thanked the Administration members with whom he had been involved, saying, “I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.”
Continuing, he thanked the Americans who elected Trump to office and thus got him in his position, saying, “Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.
God bless America, and all those who defend Her. 🇺🇸”
In any case, speaking about Deputy Director Bongino’s decision to leave the FBI when speaking to the media on the tarmac near Marine One, the presidential helicopter, President Trump thanked Bongino and explained, “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.” Watch him here:
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While some were hostile towards Bongino over his decision to leave, most MAGA commentators were broadly positive towards him. Benny Johnson, for example, wrote, “Dan Bongino was rich, successful and powerful. Dan had the biggest show in America and ran a media empire. When Trump asked, Dan left everything behind for a mission most people thought impossible: fixing the FBI. It was one of the most selfless acts in modern political history.”
Benny continued, “The FBI job is thankless. Perhaps impossible. The FBI had become a fortress for corruption, a political weapon, and a threat to the people it was sworn to protect. Dan put his head down and got to work. Lots of bad people fired. Lots of bad guys behind bars. Reform and exposure of corruption.”
Concluding, he said, “Eventually, time away from your family will break you. Every good father and husband knows this. Dan is choosing his family. Returning to his show. The FBI may well need to be rebuilt from the ground up. At least Dan Bongino was in the arena. Thanks for you service @dbongino”