FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced Wednesday that he will step down from his position in January.
Bongino, a former police officer, Secret Service agent and conservative radio and podcast host who spread conspiracy theories, was controversially selected by President Donald Trump to fill the FBI’s No. 2 position.
Bongino will step down after less than a year in office, making him one of the first key figures in President Trump’s second term to do so.
“I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi and Secretary (Kash) Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose,” Bongino said in a social media post.
“Most importantly, my fellow Americans, I want to thank you for the privilege of serving you. God bless America and all those who defend it,” Bongino said.
Earlier Wednesday, President Trump acknowledged that Bongino may resign.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump told reporters. “I think he wants to get back to his show.”
MS Now reported earlier in the day about Bongino’s plans to step down.
The report said he told those close to him that he did not intend to return to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., to work this month.
Asked for comment, Bongino told MS Now: “Print whatever you want.” “No one will believe you anyway. Thank you.”
The FBI declined to comment when contacted by CNBC.
“Dan is the best partner I could ask for in helping rebuild the FBI,” Patel said in a post on X.
“He not only accomplished his mission, he far exceeded it,” Patel wrote. “We will miss him, but we are grateful that he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer because of it.”
When President Trump nominated Bongino to the top law enforcement position, he had no prior FBI experience.
His previous discussion of conspiracy theories about right-wing media resurfaced after he joined the government.
Bongino, who was a civilian, reportedly suggested that it was an “inside job” to set off pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
But earlier this month, Bongino scored a victory when federal agents arrested and charged Brian Cole Jr. with setting up the devices after a nearly five-year investigation. Mr. Cole is not affiliated with the FBI or any other federal agency.
Asked by Fox News’ Sean Hannity how his recent comments squared with his past claims about pipe bombs, Bongino said he had “been paid in the past” for his opinions and said, “I’ll be back in that field at some point.”
“That’s not what I’m getting paid right now. I’m getting paid to be your deputy chief. We conduct investigations based on the facts,” he said.
Bongino has previously questioned the official explanation for the circumstances surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s death. The wealthy investor and notorious sex offender hanged himself in prison in August 2019 after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges.
As an FBI official, Bongino said there was no question that Epstein died by suicide.
“I have reviewed the case. Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide. There is no evidence in the case file to suggest otherwise,” he wrote to X in May.
In July, the FBI released a memo concluding that Epstein died by suicide and that the rumored “client list” never existed.
The memo sparked a backlash among members of President Trump’s MAGA movement, where conspiracy theories about Epstein have been circulating for years.
Shortly afterward, Mr. Bongino and Attorney General Pam Bondi got into an angry confrontation at the White House, The New York Times reported.
Friday is the deadline for the Trump administration to comply with a bipartisan law mandating the release of government files related to the Epstein investigation.
