Trump says FBI's Dan Bongino is 'in good shape' amid Jeffrey Epstein probe fallout
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he spoke to Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, and the law enforcement official was "in good shape" amid the fallout from the Justice Department and FBI's announcement they have found no evidence that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a "client list."
Bongino was weighing his future with the bureau after clashing with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Epstein case files, CNN and Semafor reported. Conservative influencers have criticized Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs."
Asked by reporters on July 13 if Bongino was still his deputy FBI director, Trump told reporters: "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. And he sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he's in good shape."
The former Secret Service agent and conservative media personality gave up his podcast to join the Trump administration in March. The Justice Department released a report last week that said a "systematic review" of the disgraced financier "revealed no incriminating 'client list.'"
The disclosure and Trump's subsequent defense of Bondi had the president's grassroots supporters and far-right figures up in arms. MAGA supporters were enraged with Bondi over a statement she made on Fox News earlier in the year after she was asked about Epstein's client list and said that it was "sitting on my desk right now to review."
Bondi told reporters on July 8 at a White House meeting: "I was asked a question about the client list and my response was, 'It's sitting on my desk to be reviewed,' meaning the file, not the client list."
Trump had Bondi in his box on July 13 at the FIFA Club World Cup just before he spoke to reporters.
He said on Truth Social that the FBI "must be focused on investigating" other alleged crimes instead of "spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein."
Bongino has not commented publicly on the reports of his future at the bureau. Patel said in an X post on July 12 that he planned to stay in his position.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Paste BN; Reuters