If you’ve spent any time on social media or following the news lately, you’ve probably seen the name Dan Bongino swirling around in a way that feels different from his usual podcast clips. There’s been a lot of confusion. Did he leave a media gig? Did he quit a government post? Honestly, the timeline got a bit messy for a lot of people.
To give it to you straight: Yes, did Dan Bongino resign from the FBI, and he did so quite recently. He officially stepped down as the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 3, 2026.
It was a fast, high-intensity ride. He was only in that specific seat for less than a year. If you’re thinking, "Wait, I thought he was a Secret Service guy," you’re right about that too. That’s where some of the confusion starts. He has two different resignations from two different federal agencies on his resume now. One from years ago that launched his media career, and this very fresh one from the FBI that has everyone talking.
Why the FBI job was so controversial from day one
Most people don’t realize how weird it was for Bongino to be the Deputy Director in the first place. Historically, that job—the "number two" at the Bureau—goes to a career agent. We’re talking about people who have spent 20 or 30 years climbing the ranks of the FBI.
Bongino wasn't that. He was a New York City cop in the 90s and then a Secret Service agent until 2011. Between leaving the Secret Service and joining the FBI in 2025, he was a podcaster and a Fox News host.
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When President Trump tapped him for the role, the FBI Agents Association (which represents about 14,000 agents) wasn't exactly thrilled. They put out memos basically saying the deputy should be an active, internal agent. But Trump wanted a loyalist, and he wanted someone who shared his view that the Bureau needed a massive overhaul. Bongino took the oath on March 17, 2025, serving under Director Kash Patel.
The breaking point: Why did Dan Bongino resign from the FBI?
So, why did he walk away? If you listen to the man himself, it sounds like a mix of "mission accomplished" and personal burnout. On his last day, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) about how it was the honor of a lifetime. He mentioned returning to "civilian life" in Florida.
But there’s more to the story than just missing the Florida sunshine. His time at the FBI was remarkably turbulent.
- The Epstein Files: This was a huge sticking point. Bongino had spent years on his podcast talking about the Jeffrey Epstein case. Once he got inside the FBI, he clashed with the Department of Justice—specifically Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office—over how much of those files should be released to the public.
- The Marriage Toll: In late 2025, Bongino admitted publicly that the job was taking a "serious toll" on his marriage to his wife, Paula. Running the day-to-day operations of the FBI while living under a political microscope isn't exactly a recipe for a relaxed home life.
- The "Co-Deputy" Situation: By August 2025, the structure at the top of the FBI changed. Trump brought in Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to serve as a "co-deputy director" alongside Bongino. Having to share the number-two spot usually signals a shift in power or a need for more traditional legal expertise.
What he did on his way out
Bongino didn't exactly go quietly into the night. His final day—January 2, 2026—was absolute chaos in the world of international news. He was in the office while U.S. forces were carrying out operations in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
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He used his final posts on his official government account to praise Director Patel and President Trump, framing his exit as a successful completion of his duties. He spent his tenure pushing to reopen investigations into the 2021 pipe bombs found at the DNC and RNC, and he famously claimed to have found "rooms" of unlogged documents from the James Comey era.
Whether those efforts lead to anything permanent is now up to Andrew Bailey and Kash Patel. Bongino is already back in the media space, or at least he’s getting the microphones warmed up.
Looking back at his Secret Service exit
To understand why people keep asking did Dan Bongino resign from the FBI, you have to look back at 2011. That was the first time he "walked away."
Back then, he was on the Presidential Protection Division, guarding George W. Bush and later Barack Obama. He resigned from the Secret Service to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland. He didn't win that race (or the two congressional races that followed), but he wrote a book called Life Inside the Bubble that basically launched his career as a conservative firebrand.
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He’s always been a guy who would rather be on the outside shouting in than on the inside following a manual. It turns out, even when he was given the keys to the building at the FBI, that same restless energy seemed to win out.
What’s next for Bongino?
He’s already hinted at a return to his show. In an interview with Sean Hannity right before he left the Bureau, he basically said he was "paid for his opinions" in the past and would be back in that space soon.
He’s 51 years old. He’s beaten Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He’s been a cop, a Secret Service agent, a radio star, and now the Deputy Director of the FBI.
If you’re trying to keep track of his current status for your own records or just out of curiosity, here’s the bottom line:
- He is no longer a government employee as of early January 2026.
- He has moved back to Florida full-time.
- Andrew Bailey is currently handling the deputy duties he left behind.
If you want to see what he’s up to now, the best place to look isn't a government press release—it’s probably Rumble or X. He’s officially back in the "civilian" world, and if history is any judge, he’s going to have a lot to say about what he saw on the inside of the 7th floor at the J. Edgar Hoover Building.
Next Steps for You:
If you're following the fallout of this resignation, you'll want to keep an eye on the Office of the Inspector General's upcoming reports. There are several pending audits regarding the "Comey files" Bongino claimed to have discovered, which will likely confirm or debunk the "bombshells" he teased during his final months in office. Move your focus to the DOJ's press feed for the official transition of his co-deputy, Andrew Bailey.