Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and conservative media star who now serves as Deputy Head of the FBI, is reportedly considering stepping down amid intensifying fallout over the bureau’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
According to internal sources and remarks made by Bongino himself during recent media appearances, the former law enforcement officer has grown increasingly disillusioned with what he has described as “stonewalling” and a “culture of secrecy” within the FBI surrounding the Epstein case.
Bongino’s possible departure comes as a growing chorus of lawmakers and media figures demand transparency regarding the bureau’s long-running investigation into the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
Bongino, who was appointed to his current liaison role in 2024 by a Republican-led House oversight committee, has used his platform to sharply criticize what he sees as a systemic failure by federal authorities to properly investigate Epstein’s connections to powerful individuals before and after his 2019 death in a federal detention center.
Though the official ruling was suicide, the circumstances have continued to fuel widespread skepticism.
“There are things I’ve seen that I cannot unsee,” Bongino said during a recent podcast episode, stopping short of disclosing specific details but implying he has encountered internal resistance to further inquiry.
Privately, Bongino is said to be frustrated by what he views as a lack of accountability within the FBI’s upper ranks.
People familiar with his thinking describe him as “deeply conflicted”—torn between his commitment to law enforcement and his increasing belief that the institution is shielding critical information from the public.
His remarks have put the FBI in an awkward position.
While the agency has officially declined to comment on Bongino’s statements, some within the bureau reportedly view his posture as grandstanding. Others fear that his departure—should it happen—could embolden broader skepticism of the FBI among conservative constituencies.
The timing is politically sensitive. Congressional Republicans have reopened inquiries into Epstein’s ties to political, financial, and intelligence elites, and some lawmakers have floated subpoenas for current and former FBI officials.
Bongino, should he resign, is expected to become a key witness in those hearings.
Whether Bongino follows through on his threat to step down remains uncertain.
But his increasingly vocal criticism underscores the broader institutional crisis of trust facing federal law enforcement in an era marked by conspiracy theories, political polarization, and enduring questions about one of the country’s most infamous criminal cases.
[READ MORE: Trump Admin Moves to Purge Over a Thousand Employees From State Department]
