(NewsNation) — FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino returned to work Monday after reports he would quit following a reported altercation with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to a source close to the White House with knowledge of the circumstances.
The source told NewsNation that Bongino is expected to stay on as deputy director of the FBI for now but said the situation is fluid. Additionally, within President Donald Trump’s administration, no decision is final until it is made by the president, the source emphasized.
Last week, the DOJ and FBI released a page-and-a-half memo stating there was no “client list” tied to Epstein, adding there would not be any more evidence released regarding the disgraced financier.
Axios reported last week that Bongino threatened to quit during a contentious meeting after the memo was released. During the altercation, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich were present, according to Axios.
President Donald Trump then expressed support for Bongino on Sunday, telling reporters that he’s “in good shape.”
“Oh, I think so. I did — 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. No, I think he’s in good shape,” Trump said.
On July 9, a source close to the White House told NewsNation that FBI Director Kash Patel and Bongino would unseal evidence related to the investigation of Epstein if their department could do so.
“I believe with full certainty that if Kash Patel and Dan Bongino had the power to operate separately from the DOJ, that they would have unsealed and released every single piece of evidence they could, while protecting victims, months ago,” the source close to the White House said last week.
The FBI and DOJ issued statements to NewsNation last week saying it was a “thorough review.”
“The DOJ and FBI reviewed the Epstein Files and reached the conclusion set out in the July 6th memo. Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution,” Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NewsNation in a joint statement.
“The memo released on July 6th is consistent with the thorough review conducted by the FBI and DOJ. The criminal leakers and Fake News media tries tirelessly to undermine President Trump with smears and lies, and this story is no different,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a provided statement to NewsNation.
Trump administration: DOJ, FBI working on Epstein files in ‘lockstep’
On Monday, deputy White House press secretary Harrison Fields said the Justice Department and FBI officials will continue to work in “lockstep with unprecedented success.”
Trump threw his support behind Bondi in a Truth Social post, writing: “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday that he trusts the White House will “make the right decision” regarding the Epstein files. When asked if he has faith in Bondi, he replied, “I do.”
