FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced his resignation on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, ending a turbulent 10-month tenure marked by internal clashes over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files and mounting pressure on his personal life.
The 51-year-old former Fox News host and podcast personality confirmed he will depart the bureau in January 2026, returning to Florida to resume his broadcasting career. In a statement posted on social media, Bongino thanked Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel for the opportunity to serve.
“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” Bongino wrote. “Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.”
President Donald Trump, speaking with reporters, acknowledged Bongino’s departure and said he did a great job and wants to return to his show. The resignation comes as one of the most prominent departures from the Trump administration, highlighting ongoing tensions within federal law enforcement leadership.
Bongino’s brief tenure was marked by significant controversy, particularly surrounding his role in a massive FBI redaction effort related to Epstein investigative materials. Between March 2025 and April 2025, the bureau trained approximately 1,000 agents at a facility in Winchester, Virginia to handle document redactions. The operation generated $851,344 in overtime costs and consumed 4,737 overtime hours.
The redaction effort sparked fierce internal debate when Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, 2025, mandating greater disclosure. A clash between Bongino and Bondi over the handling of Epstein files became a pivotal point in his decision to leave. Bongino threatened to resign over the dispute, creating further rifts within the administration.
In May 2025, Bongino admitted publicly that the demands of the deputy director role had strained his marriage to Paula Bongino, 50. The couple, who married around 2003 and have two daughters, faced the challenges of separation as Bongino worked in Washington, D.C., while his family remained in Florida.
Bongino also acknowledged he does not enjoy the FBI role, a stark admission for someone holding one of the bureau’s most powerful positions.
Bongino’s appointment in March 2025 represented an unconventional choice. While he previously worked as a New York City police officer and Secret Service agent, he had no FBI experience before assuming his position. Before joining the Trump administration, Bongino spent years as a Fox News host and podcast host, building a substantial following in conservative media circles.
The resignation comes amid ongoing scrutiny of FBI leadership under Director Patel and as the bureau’s investigation of the Brown University shooting remains ongoing. The investigation has drawn national attention.
In July 2025, the Department of Justice announced that no Epstein client list had been found, despite extensive document reviews. The announcement came months after the intensive redaction effort that began shortly after Bongino assumed his deputy director position. Earlier in the year, Bongino posted a cryptic message stating he was shocked by what he learned during his tenure at the bureau, though he provided no specifics about his discoveries.
The deputy director’s departure creates a significant vacancy in FBI leadership at a time when the bureau faces multiple high-profile investigations and mounting public scrutiny. His return to Florida and broadcasting marks a reversal of the career sacrifice he made earlier this year when he left a lucrative media platform to join federal law enforcement.
Bongino’s tenure began on a contentious note and ended similarly, with the Epstein files controversy casting a long shadow over his brief time in office. The clash with Bondi over file handling represented not just a policy disagreement but a fundamental tension between transparency advocates and those concerned about investigative procedures and privacy protections.
As Bongino prepares to exit federal service, questions remain about who will fill the deputy director position. The departure also leaves unresolved the broader debates about document transparency and the handling of sensitive investigative materials that defined much of Bongino’s short-lived tenure.
With his family awaiting his return to Florida and a broadcasting career ready to resume, Bongino’s time in Washington comes to a close after what he described as a personally costly chapter. His statement thanking Trump, Bondi, and Patel suggested an amicable departure, though the circumstances surrounding his resignation point to deeper institutional and personal pressures that made his continued service untenable.
The FBI now faces the task of selecting a new deputy director while navigating ongoing investigations and the continued fallout from the Epstein files handling. Bongino’s resignation removes a polarizing but prominent figure from federal law enforcement leadership at a critical moment for the bureau and the Trump administration.