FBI deputy director Dan Bongino did not show up to work on Friday and is considering quitting after clashing with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
In the latest sign of escalating tensions over the late child sex offender, tempers flared this week after the administration determined that Epstein didn’t have a celebrity “client list” and was not murdered in his cell, as many in MAGA world believe.
The clash, which took place at the White House on Wednesday in front of chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, and FBI director Kash Patel, stemmed in part from Bongino’s frustration that Bondi had overpromised but underdelivered on the supposed client list.
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Earlier this year, for instance, the Attorney General helped organize a “scoop” for MAGA social media influencers, who were called to the White House and presented with binders of Epstein-related documents. But as it turned out, those binders contained hundreds of pages that mostly had been public for years.
Also in February, Bondi appeared on Fox News, suggesting she had possession of the convicted sex offender’s supposed black book of prominent figures who engaged in illegal sexual activities. Now, according to a memo released by the Justice Department, no such list exists.
Things escalated in the White House this week when Bongino was reportedly confronted about the leaking of an article suggesting he and Patel actually wanted more information released on Epstein, but were held back. Bongino denied being the source of the information.
News that Bongino did not go to work on Friday fueled speculation that he was going to quit, with sources close to him saying he is considering his options.
The former Secret Service Agent was a popular podcaster before he was tapped to join the FBI, and used his previous platform to stoke conspiracy theories about the Epstein files.
But since joining the administration, he has made no secret of the fact that he hates his FBI job and the toll it has taken on his family and personal life.
“People ask me all the time, you know: do you like it? And I say no, I don’t, but the president didn’t ask me to do this to like it. Nobody likes going into an organization like that,” he said in May.
However, the White House has downplayed the incident, saying that “any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”
“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims. This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the Daily Beast.
Trump ally Laura Loomer, who has been calling for Bondi’s sacking for weeks, wrote on X that the Attorney General had “brought total embarrassment” to the president, Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Bongino.
“I’m told Kash and Bongino are furious with Blondi and the blowback she has caused them with her lack of transparency,” she wrote, using the nickname she has given Bondi.
“Kash Patel and Dan Bongino should call for Blondi’s public resignation today to save themselves and to also push for full transparency into the Epstein files. This is an issue the American people care deeply about. Someone needs to be fired for this.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the FBI for comment. Bondi has yet to respond to the matter, which was first reported by Axios, but her deputy, Todd Blanche said the Department of Justice’s memo was a joint effort between their office and Patel and Bongino.
“I worked closely with @FBIDirectorKash and @FBIDDBongino on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files,” said Blanche, who represented Trump in the so-called “hush money trial” that led to the president’s historic conviction.
“All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo. The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”
Others have also suggested Bondi, who still has the support of the president, is being used as a scapegoat, given Bongino’s well-known disdain for his job.
“Crashing out and telling people it’s because you’re mad about the handling of the Epstein files sounds like a great way to stop doing hard work and get back to making tons of money podcasting,” said Matt Gertz, a senior fellow at Media Matters.
Epstein died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 as he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. His former girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was subsequently convicted in 2021 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping Epstein recruit and abuse underage girls. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
But his death and crimes have long been a central issue for Trump’s base, and some MAGA warriors, such as Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk, have called for a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of it.
Bongino was also obsessed with the issue before Trump tapped him to join the FBI, telling listeners on his podcast in September 2024 that the Epstein client list was a “huge deal.”
“Folks, you’re going to see a lot of names on that,” he said at the time. “It’s going to rock the political world. There’s a reason they’re hiding it.”
