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According to multiple sources, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was furious this week at the Closure Door White House meeting about reviewing the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files.
According to two sources close to DOJ’s leadership, Bongino spoke up during a discussion with White House Chief Susie Wills. Bongino also exchanged fierce words with Attorney General Pam Bondi during the meeting, with the entire ordeal in consideration of resigning from the FBI, another source said.
Another person with knowledge of the meeting challenged the characterization that Bongino cried out at Wills and Bondi during the sitdown.
However, the person agreed that Bongino was “enthussed.” Sources said the deputy director was angry about Epstein’s memo development and what he considered Bondy’s “lack of transparency from the start.” The memo, a joint product between the DOJ and the FBI, said there was no more information for the two agencies to share the Epstein case with the public. The memo first appeared on Axios over the weekend, then released by the DOJ and the FBI on Monday.
Thinking about resigning after a clash with FBI Dan Bongino AG Bondi: Source
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel stand by the flags of the US and Bureau. (@fbiddbongino on x)
White House officials asked about the allegations that Bongino yelled at Wills. Wills is a veteran of Florida politics and leads Trump’s campaign, and the president describes her as “universally praised her.”
Fractures of DOJ and FBI leadership spilled to the public Friday amid fallout from the memo.
The memo said the DOJ and the FBI had finished reviewing Epstein’s files and were unable to find any information that could lead to billing for new people.
Bongino reportedly will now break his leadership over the memo and resign, but those familiar with the matter said as of Friday that FBI director Kash Patel and Bondi remained in communication, and Patel is happy with his work.
A DOJ spokesman and an FBI spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
Jeffrey Epstein died of suicide and had no client list: DOJ Notes
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondy will talk to Washington, DC (Getty Images) on June 27, 2025 with President Donald Trump about his recent Supreme Court decision in the White House briefing room.
Bongino, a former Secret Service agent with no previous FBI experience, hosted a popular podcast before Trump tapped him to play his second role on the station. On his show, Bongino repeatedly raised alarms on Epstein’s “client list,” saying “there are reasons why they’re hiding it,” and that the release “shaking the political world.”
However, in a memo released Monday, the FBI and DOJ said they hadn’t revealed such a list.
Bongino, Bondi and Patel are all taking a blow to the Epstein file from their supporters factions.
Epstein, an investor known to be involved with wealthy and well-known figures, was charged in 2019 with allegations of having sexual relations or being sexually abused, recruiting dozens of women, including a young minor at age 14. His associate Githrane Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring a minor sexually abused. She has a pending appeal.
In a memo, the DOJ and the FBI said much of the private information related to the Epstein case is either under a court order seal or includes child pornography and personal information about the victim.
10 Reasons for DOJ and FBI to Resent After Epstein Files Flop DOJ and FBI
While sources with knowledge of the meeting dispute the characterization that Bongino cried out to Wills or Bondi, sources agreed that Bongino was “furious” by the handling of Epstein’s memo development and the lack of “transparency from the start” on the part of the Attorney General. (Reuters)
Before joining the bureau, Patel and Bongino were advancing both advanced theories that the government was hiding information about cases, including a “list” of unprosecuted sexual predators.
The DOJ and FBI notes poured cold water into the idea. Focusing on the institution’s finding a “guilty “” called the “client list,” the idea was poured in.
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Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that DOJ and FBI leadership, including Bongino, have been rockstepping during the compilation and release of the memo. The idea that “there was sunlight” between the FBI and DOJ is “patently false,” Blanche said.
Bongino wasn’t working Friday, and he was angry at the fallout from Epstein’s memo, sources said. One said Bongino didn’t expect any backlash from his supporters.
David Spunt and Jake Gibson of Fox News contributed to this report.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, covering the Department of Justice and legal affairs. Email story tips to Ashley.oliver@fox.com.
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