President Donald Trump said Sunday that he spoke with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino in an effort to ease tensions surrounding the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged network of clients.
Asked by reporters if Bongino remained in his position after reportedly considering resigning, Trump said: “Oh I think so…I spoke to him today. Dan Bongino, very good guy. I’ve known him a long time. I’ve done his show many, many times. He sounded terrific, actually.”
Bongino represents a segment of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base that has long harbored deep suspicions about Jeffrey Epstein, whose 2019 death in federal custody was officially ruled a suicide. In a joint memo released last Monday, the FBI and Justice Department stated there was no evidence to support the widely circulated conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death or his alleged list of powerful clients.
Conservative influencers, including Laura Loomer and Elon Musk, have slammed Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel over their findings, released months after Bondi promised to disclose major revelations about Jeffrey Epstein, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs.”
U.S. media outlets, including Fox News and NBC News, have reported that Bongino has clashed with Bondi over the Epstein controversy and has considered resigning.
Before joining the FBI, both Bongino—a former conservative podcaster—and Patel publicly commented on the existence of a so-called client list and frequently implied that the government was withholding information about Epstein from the American people.