Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is reportedly preparing to leave the Bureau, with indications mounting that his tenure could end within weeks as he considers a return to the conservative media world ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
According to a report from The New York Times, Bongino has told associates that his departure could come “as soon as this week or as late as mid-January.” While no formal announcement has been made, people familiar with his plans told the paper that Bongino has already begun clearing out his office.
Sources cited by the Times said Bongino has started shipping personal items and office “knick-knacks” back to Florida, where he is expected to resume his broadcasting career. The timing, they suggested, would allow him to reenter the media space well ahead of the next election cycle.
Fox News Digital reported earlier this week that Bongino had not yet made a final decision and pushed back on claims that his office was already empty. Those sources acknowledged, however, that Bongino is expected to publicly declare his intentions in the coming weeks.
Bongino, a former podcaster and conservative commentator, joined the FBI earlier this year after being nominated by President Donald Trump. He arrived promising disruption and what allies described as ideological clarity at an agency long criticized by conservatives for politicization and lack of accountability.
The Times report also claimed that Bongino has discussed the optics of his exit with associates, floating the idea of tying his resignation to a major law enforcement development. According to the paper, Bongino suggested he might announce his departure during a press conference related to the investigation into who planted pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters on the eve of the January 6 riots in 2021.
Behind the scenes, the Times reported that Bongino has worked to repair relations with Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom he previously criticized. In July, Bongino accused Bondi’s department of mishandling the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and reportedly threatened to resign after the Justice Department released a memo stating that the widely discussed “Epstein client list” did not exist.
That issue had been a major focus of Bongino’s podcast prior to his appointment to the FBI, and the memo’s conclusions sparked backlash from parts of the conservative base. According to the Times, Bongino has since sought to smooth tensions with Bondi as he weighs his next move.
If Bongino does step down, it would mark a short but highly scrutinized tenure for a figure who entered the Bureau with a mandate to challenge the status quo. His possible return to media would also place him back in a familiar role, where he built a large following by sharply criticizing federal institutions and Democratic leadership.
For now, Bongino’s future remains officially undecided. But with reports of boxes being shipped out and timelines discussed privately, speculation continues to grow that his time at the FBI is nearing its end — and that his voice could soon reemerge as a prominent presence in conservative media once again.
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