The White House slammed “baseless” reports Friday that FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino are weighing resignation if Attorney General Pam Bondi keeps her job as the fallout grows from a memo that determined Jeffrey Epstein was not murdered and did not have a client list or blackmail powerful people.
Bongino has told people he is thinking about stepping down amid a major clash between the FBI and the Department of Justice over the memo, CNN reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The Daily Wire, citing a source close to Bongino, also reported Friday that Bongino is threatening to leave the bureau if Bondi remains on the job. A source close to the DOJ told The Daily Wire that Patel also wanted Bondi gone and that he would consider leaving if Bongino departed.
“President [Donald] 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 spokesman Harrison Fields wrote in an email to Newsmax.
“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.”
Newsmax also reached out to the FBI for comment.
In a post Friday on X, Marc Lotter, co-host of Newsmax’s “Wake Up America,” wrote: “Hearing from a Sr. @WhiteHouse Official that President @realDonaldTrump ‘still has the utmost confidence in @AGPamBondi’s ability.'”
Bongino reportedly is furious with Bondi over her handling of the files of Epstein, a convicted sex offender, leading many to believe he could resign. The source close to Bongino told The Daily Wire that he has effectively issued an ultimatum, saying he won’t work alongside Bondi.
The rift intensified during a Wednesday meeting between Bongino, Bondi, Patel, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, CNN reported. Bongino and Patel were confronted about whether they were behind a report that the FBI wanted more information released on Epstein but was ultimately stymied by the DOJ.
Bongino denied leaking anything to NewsNation, which published the story, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, though he did not sign on to a statement defending the review included in that article.
The sources cautioned CNN that Bongino had not made up his mind, and it was possible he would stay in his position. Multiple sources told CNN that Bongino did not come to work Friday, fueling speculation he had quit over the issue. But one of those sources said that as of Friday afternoon, he had not left his position.
Bongino, who raised questions about Epstein’s death before he was in the Trump administration, said in May that his review of the file and hours of video from Epstein’s jail proved that Epstein died by suicide, according to The Daily Wire. Patel also said that the evidence the FBI reviewed showed Epstein was not murdered.
At the time of his death on Aug. 10, 2019, Epstein was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges for allegedly sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of underage girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money. He often socialized with celebrities, royalty, and powerful politicians across the world, including on a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but a client list has never been disclosed.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who recruited young girls for Epstein, was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping him procure girls, but no client names were revealed during her trial. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.