NEW: Trump Breaks Silence On Dan Bongino’s Future In The Administration

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino returned to the office on Monday after failing to appear Friday, a worrying sign that left observers wondering whether he plans to stay in the Trump administration — or whether the president plans to fire him.

Those fears were allayed by Trump on Monday when he expressed confidence in Bongino amid a reckoning over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have doubled down on the conclusion that Epstein killed himself and that no “client list” of sexual abusers was in his custody.

“I spoke to him today,” Trump told reporters after stepping off Air Force One on Sunday evening. “Dan Bongino. Very good guy. I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve done his show many, many times. He sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he’s in good shape.”

Bongino, a former radio host and Secret Service agent, rose to prominence in conservative media by fueling the narrative that a government cover-up was protecting powerful individuals who associated with Epstein. The late pedophile philanthropist died in 2019 while sitting in a jail cell after being charged with human trafficking and other sex crimes related to his abuse of underage girls.

Now Bongino, Patel, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi are in a defensive crouch, batting back accusations that they are hiding the same list they once sought to make public.

The controversy culminated in a clash on Thursday when Bondi confronted Bongino, accusing him of leaking damaging stories to conservative media outlets. Bongino denied doing so and did not show up for work the following morning.

Rumors immediately sparked that he was considering ending his tenure at the FBI.

“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,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to The Independent.

“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.”

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Conspiracy theorists have long held that the government is insulating powerful individuals from further disclosures in the Epstein investigation, a charge Trump himself has denied. However, administration officials have claimed that the release of more records may implicate innocent individuals caught up in Epstein’s orbit, such as those named in his private jet logs.

Bondi on Sunday appeared among a small cache of figures around Trump at the FIFA Club World Cup in New Jersey — an unsubtle sign of his confidence in her. The appearance was built on a Saturday social media post where Trump lamented his fans’ criticism of Bondi for originally claiming she was in possession of the alleged client list.

Bondi is doing a “fantastic job,” Trump said.

That prompted Elon Musk to fire another jab at his former friend.

“This is in the running for worst post ever made,” he wrote on X shortly afterward.

“Seriously. He said ‘Epstein’ half a dozen times while telling everyone to stop talking about Epstein. Just release the files as promised,” Musk added.

A source close to Ghislaine Maxwell, the former mistress of Epstein, said she is prepared to “reveal the truth” to Congress as she appeals to the Supreme Court to overturn her 20-year conviction on related crimes.