FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced on Wednesday, Dec. 17, that he will be resigning from the FBI. (Photo credit: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The FBI Deputy Director Will Be Vacating His Position In January
On Wednesday, Dec. 17, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced he was resigning from the FBI.
“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” wrote Bongino on X, formerly Twitter. “I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.”
Continuing, he wrote, “Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.”
See his full resignation announcement post on X, here:
I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January.
I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.
Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.
God bless America, and…— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) December 17, 2025
Responding to the news of Bongino’s resignation, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X, “Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI.”
He went on to write, “He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it. We will miss him but I’m thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it.”
See Patel’s full remarks, here:
Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI. He brought critical reforms to make the organization more efficient, led the successful Summer Heat op, served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved… https://t.co/o8wZOUnojP
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 17, 2025
Bongino’s Tenure In The FBI
When President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term, a lengthy process of appointments and confirmations began.
Among those selections was FBI Director Kash Patel, who was confirmed in February and went on to appoint Dan Bongino to the role of FBI Deputy Director.
Bongino, who has been widely known for his political commentary on Fox News and his own show on Rumble, had his start as part of the NYPD in 1995 before going on to be a member of the Presidential Protective Division in the Bush administration in 2005.
His law enforcement experience made him a natural fit in the FBI, but there were a few significant hiccups in his tenure as the Deputy Director.
Back in July, NBC News reported that as the Department of Justice was addressing the release of some of the Jeffrey Epstein files, as well as backtracking on the existence of a client list, that Bongino considered resigning.
This Fox News interview from May had previously drawn scrutiny, as the honesty of Bongino and Kash discussing whether Epstein killed himself in 2019 was questioned:
Bongino’s Dec. 17 resignation announcement comes two days prior to the Dec. 19 deadline, as instituted by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, for the Department of Justice to release all of the Epstein files.
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