I have to admit, when Dan Bongino was appointed FBI deputy director, I was stunned, especially because this was not someone who was handpicked by Director Kash Patel, which would traditionally be the case.
There has always seemed to be some friction between Bongino, Patel, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Now, for the second time, there are reports that Bongino is considering leaving the administration.
For years, on his podcast and radio show, Bongino had been hyping up the Jeffrey Epstein files.
So, it was no surprise to hear that he was upset with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Patel over their lack of transparency on the files, particularly when they initially announced that there was no bombshell contained therein, no client list, etc.
Bongino made headlines that same weekend when he did not come to work on the preceding Friday, with reports at the time claiming that he was mulling over whether he would stay with the FBI.
The problem for Bongino is that Trump really likes Bondi, so it appeared to some that she was getting the benefit of the doubt from the president, and that did not sit well with Bongino. It did not help that Bongino was taking considerable heat online for the years of promoting conspiracies about Epstein. He more or less became the fall guy for the entire debacle.
A month after the Epstein fallout, the administration announced that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was going to join the administration as the co-deputy director of the FBI.
This was widely perceived as the administration preparing itself for a Bongino departure. Bailey is also fiercely loyal to Trump. Bongino was also loyal, but not to same degree as Bailey, who, it was believed, would be Trump’s attack dog, so to speak.
Director Patel, at the time, stated, "The FBI, as the leading investigative body of the federal government under the Department of Justice, will always bring the greatest talent this country has to offer in order to accomplish the goals set forth when an overwhelming majority of American people elected President Donald J. Trump again.”
Bongino was a team player in welcoming Bailey as his co-deputy director, but my contacts within the FBI noted that the situation was a bit tense. Not overwhelmingly so, but they thought it was quite apparent that Bongino was not thrilled with the move.
Once again, there are whispers that Bongino is considering leaving the agency, and he is reportedly going to mull the decision over the holiday break.
The situation is being exacerbated by a recent report from active-duty and retired FBI personnel claiming that the agency is directionless, a claim Bongino has disputed. After such reporting was published, he responded, "When the director and I moved forward with these reforms, we expected some noise from the small circle of disgruntled former agents still loyal to the old Comey–Wray model.”
He continued, "That was never our audience. Our responsibility is to the American people. And under the new leadership team, the bureau is delivering results this country hasn't seen in decades -- tighter accountability, tougher performance standards, billions saved and a mission-first culture. That's how you restore trust."
My gut tells me that we are going to see significant turnover in the administration after the new year for various reasons. I think Bongino is likely to leave, and I think Bondi could be forced out. I also believe that if polling continues in the direction we are seeing, there will be mass resignations of officials looking to distance themselves from the administration rather than remaining for what could be two years of a lame duck presidency if Democrats take back the House in the midterm contests.
