Dan Bongino stepping down as FBI deputy director

December 18, 2025

Dan Bongino, a former podcast host and Trump ally appointed as FBI deputy director in February, has announced his resignation effective January. His appointment was controversial due to his lack of FBI experience and history of promoting conspiracy theories, including claims about the 2020 election and the January 6 pipe bomb case. During his brief tenure, Bongino prioritized the pipe bomb investigation that led to an arrest and reversed his public stance on Jeffrey Epstein's death after reviewing FBI files.

Who is affected

Dan Bongino (resigning deputy director)
President Donald Trump
FBI Director Kash Patel
Attorney General Pam Bondi
The FBI Agents Association (representing approximately 14,000 current and former agents)
Current FBI personnel and leadership
The man arrested in connection with the pipe bomb investigation

What action is being taken

Bongino is leaving his position with the FBI in January
Trump stated that Bongino "wants to go back to his show"

Why it matters

This resignation is significant because it marks the departure of a highly controversial appointee who broke with FBI tradition by lacking agency experience and brought a partisan media background to a typically non-political law enforcement leadership role. His tenure highlighted tensions between political loyalty and institutional norms within federal law enforcement, particularly regarding sensitive investigations like the pipe bombs and Epstein case. The position will now need to be filled, potentially returning to the traditional practice of appointing career FBI agents.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC