Public uproar and internal fighting in the Trump administration over the handling of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has put a spotlight on FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and his importance to members of President Trump’s base.
Bongino has been at the center of debate over the Epstein files after the Justice Department essentially closed the case in a joint memo with the FBI. The deputy FBI director has clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the issue and reportedly weighed resigning.
The outrage on the right over the prospect of Bongino exiting underscored both his importance to the base and how central he had been to fueling the controversies and conspiracy theories that animate many Trump backers.
Sources close to the White House told The Hill that members of the MAGA movement view Bongino as one of their own. He has built a following over the past decade, and is considered a true outsider with a finger on the pulse of the base who was appointed to a position of power to act on issues they care about, including the Epstein documents.
“Dan is a brand of MAGA that is fiercely loyal to the president. But he’s also somebody who has made a heck of a media career going into depth about issues that the base cares about, whether it be things like Epstein or the assassination attempt at Butler,” said one source close to the White House.
“He is considered a trusted voice,” the source added. “I think this is someone who is honored to serve the Trump administration, but also put his brand on the line when it came to, ‘We’re going to get to the bottom of Epstein.’”
Bongino is a former New York City police officer and Secret Service agent who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Maryland and Florida. His media career took off during Trump’s first term, and he has built a large following through his radio show, his podcast and appearances on Fox News over the years. Bongino has 7 million followers on the social media platform X.
When Trump tapped Bongino as second in command at the FBI, it was hailed as a win for the MAGA base to have a true outsider who thought and talked like them in a position of power.
“When Dan Bongino speaks, the base listens,” the source close to the White House said.
Bongino has used his massive media platform to echo Trump’s talking points and rally support for the president and the MAGA movement. But he has also pushed conspiratorial claims about topics like the 2020 election, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the Epstein case.
Bongino was among those who spread allegations that there was something nefarious about Dominion Voting Systems in the 2020 election, a common claim among Trump supporters. The voting technology company and Fox News settled a defamation case over similar claims in 2023.
Bongino said on his show in 2024 that the government’s “goal” on Jan. 6, 2021 was to “shut down” efforts by Republicans to question the certification of the 2020 election. He went on to suggest the placement of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee was part of that effort.
On Epstein, Bongino was among those on the right who amplified claims that there was something nefarious the government was hiding about Epstein’s associates and his death.
“Listen, that Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal, please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on this,” Bongino told his listeners in 2023.
But as a government official, Bongino’s role has been more complicated.
He went on Fox News in May and said Epstein died by suicide. He later posted on X that he was not asking his followers to believe him, but that he was relaying what the evidence said.
The Justice Department and FBI issued a joint memo last week that stated Epstein did not have a client list and confirmed he died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019. The findings incensed members of the MAGA movement, who have for years pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death and claims that prominent Democrats would be named on a client list.
Epstein, accused in several cases of sex trafficking young girls, ran in high-powered circles with figures that included Trump, former President Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew and a number of other celebrities and ultrawealthy individuals. Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been convicted of sex trafficking.
Bongino fumed over the decision to effectively close the case, according to a source familiar with the matter. Multiple outlets reported that he considered quitting. Though Bongino has remained on the job, he has not spoken publicly or posted on X in nearly a week.
His threat to resign raised the specter of a further revolt among prominent conservatives.
“Can confirm it’s Bongino or Bondi – and the pick is obvious. Bondi must go,” Megyn Kelly posted on X last week at the peak of Bongino’s frustration.
One pro-Trump operative likened Bongino’s influence to that of Fox News host Sean Hannity or conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
“Our base views him as ‘one of them,’ and so the idea of him walking out of the administration in this manner would certainly cause a portion of Trump supporters to feel dejected,” the operative told The Hill. “It’s less about Bongino specifically and more about the broader symbolism him leaving would represent.”
Trump has publicly expressed support this week for both Bongino and Bondi. The attorney general has taken the brunt of the anger from conservatives over the Epstein case, with many arguing she has overpromised and underdelivered on providing more documentation.
But the president has also shown he is getting frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein case, despite it being something that Bongino, Vice President Vance and others in his administration have perpetuated in the past.
Trump told reporters Wednesday he would support Bondi releasing “credible” information related to the Epstein files. But he also complained the focus on the Epstein documents was taking away from the administration’s successes on Capitol Hill and elsewhere.
“Certain Republicans got duped by the Democrats, and they’re following a Democrat playbook,” Trump said. “And no different than Russia, Russia, Russia, and all the other hoaxes, they’re started by the Democrats. And Some Republicans, in this case I was surprised, they got duped.”
