Politics
NEW: Dan Bongino Officially Signs Off After Service With Trump Administration
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino thanked President Donald Trump and the American people for allowing him to serve when signing off for his final day on the job on Saturday evening.
Bongino had previously announced on December 17 that he will be stepping down from his post after serving for nearly a year. “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 all those who defend Her,” he said at the time.
The deputy director did not provide specifics on his departure, though President Donald Trump thanked him for his service and said he will be returning to the media space while taking questions from reporters that same day. “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” the president said.
On Saturday night, Bongino penned a final X post from his official government account in which he reflected on a “busy” final day on the job thanks to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro in a joint War Department and DOJ operation.
“It was a busy last day on the job. This will be my last post on this account,” Bongino wrote.
“Tomorrow I return to civilian life. It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump. It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people,” he continued, concluding the post with, “See you on the other side.”
It was a busy last day on the job. This will be my last post on this account.
Tomorrow I return to civilian life. It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump.
It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve… https://t.co/ETUqiYXvLH— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) January 4, 2026
Former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who was appointed to serve as co-deputy FBI director alongside Bongino this past August, is likely to assume the full duties of deputy director following Bongino’s departure.
Bailey secured a number of consequential while serving as attorney general, including a successful multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the Chinese government due to COVID-19 coverups. He also led an unsuccessful Supreme Court challenge against social media giants that still managed to highlight a number of Biden-era censorship practices.
The deputy director role is typically tasked with managing day-to-day operations within the bureau.
Bailey had served as the Attorney General of Missouri since January 2023
Bailey’s appointment followed reports of a significant rift between Bongino and Attorney General Pam Bondi that surfaced back in July. According to several reports from the time, Bongino took issue with the handling of several high profile cases, including the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, and threatened to resign if matters were not resolved.
