FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino are reportedly considering resigning from the agency if Attorney General Pam Bondi doesn’t give up her leadership position in the Justice Department.
Numerous reports on Friday claim the pair became frustrated with Bondi after the DOJ denied the existence of a “client list” allegedly kept by well-connected sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and said in a memo that no further information would be released on the matter.
Conspiracy theorist and MAGA loyalist Laura Loomer first reported Bongino took Friday off from work amid his fallout with Bondi. That claim was later supported by mainstream outlets including CNN.
Loomer said Bongino was “furious” with Bondi over the backlash she’s caused with her “lack of transparency and handling of the Epstein files,” adding there was speculation on whether Bongino would even return to his job.
Right-wing outlets including The Daily Wire reported Patel could follow Bongino’s lead if he decides to quit. That reporting hasn’t been confirmed.
Bondi’s deputy claimed Friday morning there were no issues between the FBI and the DOJ regarding the Epstein investigation.
“I worked closely with [Patel] and [Bongino] on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files. All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo,” Deputy Attorney General and former Donald Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche posted on X. “The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false.”
The Epstein files have caused a major rift among MAGA loyalists who have pushed the rumors that Epstein was sex trafficking minors to wealthy people in politics, business and entertainment prior to his 2019 suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Some conspiracy theorists formerly loyal to Trump have suggested a cover-up is afoot to protect the president, who was friendly with Epstein. Trump has not been charged with any crimes linked to his old pal’s alleged transgressions.
Patel and Bongino also found themselves at odds with Epstein conspiracy theorists after they confirmed initial reports that the 66-year-old sexual deviant took his own life and wasn’t assassinated in some sort of complex plot to protect the rich and powerful.
Prior to entering the FBI, the pair were known to engage in outlandish tales as podcasters.
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