Dan Bongino to step down as FBI deputy director in January
Rumours swirling that the former Fox News talking head will resume his conservative radio show in new year.
Author of the article:Spiro Papuckoski
Published Dec 18, 2025 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 2 minute read
Dan Bongino, FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Dec. 4, 2025.
Dan Bongino, FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Dec. 4, 2025.
Dan Bongino announced he will step down as deputy director of the FBI in January, rumoured to be returning to his conservative radio show after less than a year on the job.
Bongino was selected to the post by FBI Director Kash Patel back in February, a month after Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office for a second presidential term. He assumed the role in mid-March.
“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” Bongino confirmed to social platform X on Wednesday after reports suggested he was stepping down.
“I want to thank President Trump, (Attorney General Pam) Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.”
The 51-year-old former radio host, who worked as a U.S. Secret Service agent before pivoting to political podcasting, assumed office on March 17 after he recorded his final podcast.
“Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you,” Bongino said. “God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”
Patel praised Bongino’s time with the FBI in a statement shared to social media Wednesday.
“Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI,” Patel wrote.
The FBI director listed several accomplishments including the arrest of a suspect in the Jan. 5, 2021 pipe bombs left near the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C.
Bongino “not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it,” Patel added. “We will miss him but I’m thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it.”
MS NOW reported Wednesday that Bongino told confidants he would not be returning to the FBI in the new year.
Trump teased the news before it was made official, telling reporters that Bongino “did a great job” but he “wants to go back to his show.”
According to Axios, The Dan Bongino show was ranked by Spotify at No. 56 in the U.S. when he was appointed to the FBI deputy director role.
Bongino began his law enforcement career at the New York Police Department before he joined the Secret Service in 1999 as a special agent. He worked on the presidential details for Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
He became a fixture on Fox News more than a decade ago, offering political commentary before landing the Saturday night show Unfiltered on the cable network from 2021 to 2023.
There appeared to be friction between Bongino and Bondi this summer over the release of files pertaining to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Before joining the FBI, Bongino questioned whether Epstein actually killed himself while in jail awaiting trial in August 2019.
But in May, he dismissed the conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death and appeared to set the record straight in an interview on Fox News.
“I have seen the whole file,” Bongino said at the time. “He killed himself.”
justice.gov
In February 2025, Dan Bongino was selected by Director Kash Patel to serve as the deputy director of the FBI.
fbi.gov
Dan Bongino announced he will step down as deputy director of the FBI in January, rumoured to be returning to his radio show. Read more.
torontosun.com