A major conflict between top officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice spilled into public view on Friday over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, prompting FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino to skip work Friday due to his frustration with the DOJ, a source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner.
Bongino’s absence came after he clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Epstein files. Bondi suggested in February that the Epstein client list was sitting on her desk, but the Trump administration now says no such list exists.
As a result of the clash, Bongino is reportedly considering resigning from his position at the FBI, as is FBI Director Kash Patel, according to the Daily Wire.
A person close to Bongino told Axios, “He ain’t coming back.” Bongino was displeased with Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case because she publicly overpromised — but underdelivered when the DOJ released a short memo saying the agency had no further records to release related to his criminal activity or his death in federal custody. Bongino and Bondi reportedly clashed on Wednesday at the White House in a meeting also attended by FBI Director Kash Patel, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and deputy White House chief of staff Taylor Budowich.
Megyn Kelly, host of The Megyn Kelly Show, weighed in with a post on X, confirming the dilemma faced by the Trump administration: It must pick Bondi or Bongino.
“Can confirm it’s Bongino or Bondi – and the pick is obvious,” she said. “Bondi must go.”
However, United States Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche disputed any conflict between the FBI and DOJ leadership. He called such reports “patently false” on Friday.
“I worked closely with @FBIDirectorKash and @FBIDDBongino on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files,” Blanche posted on X. “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.”
The White House also dismissed the reports in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“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. 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,” deputy White House press secretary Harrison Fields said.
Speculation surrounding Epstein’s death, which authorities ruled a suicide, has swirled for years. The Justice Department’s memo earlier this week stating that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted” in Epstein’s case did nothing to put the suspicions to rest. President Donald Trump appeared frustrated this week with the continued interest in Epstein, saying to a reporter who had asked him about the case, “You still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?”
DOJ officials released footage this week that they said showed the area outside Epstein’s prison cell on the night he died, which they hoped would prove that there was no outside influence on Epstein’s death. But the footage offered very little visibility and was missing about a minute near midnight. Wired reported the footage “was likely modified.”
“The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as ‘raw’ footage,” the outlet reported.
Bongino was reportedly confronted about a NewsNation report that suggested he and Patel wanted more information released about Epstein earlier. He denied leaking the information.
“Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn’t end on friendly terms,” a person briefed on the heated discussion told Axios. Bongino left angry, the person said. A senior administration official also told the outlet that Bongino “was for releasing the information with the video and had no problem until he got heat online.”
TIM BURCHETT SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DESTROYED EPSTEIN FILES
Bongino was criticized in May for appearing to lament taking his FBI job.
“I gave up everything for this,” he told Fox News. “I mean, you know, my wife is struggling … I stare at these four walls all day in D.C., you know, by myself, divorced from my wife. Not divorced, but I mean, separated. And it’s hard.”
Kaelan Deese and Naomi Lim contributed to this report.
