>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
ABC News previously reported that the memo directly challenged widespread public suspicion about Epstein’s activities while in federal custody. The document concluded that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial in a Manhattan jail on federal sex trafficking charges.
The internal fallout did not stop there. Axios later reported that Bongino became so upset after the dispute with Bondi that he failed to show up for work, triggering whispers throughout the bureau that he may have already decided to walk away from the job.
Bongino’s rise to prominence came long before his current role. A former Secret Service agent, he built a massive following as a conservative commentator and podcast host. During that time, he openly questioned the official Epstein narrative and repeatedly promoted the belief that Epstein did not take his own life. Those statements came back into focus once the DOJ and FBI publicly rejected that theory.
Bade described the atmosphere inside the West Wing as increasingly hostile toward Bongino. “Since then, it’s been sour grapes where he’s concerned in the West Wing,” she wrote. “The expectation is that he’ll leave eventually; one person told me he’s told others he won’t be in the job much longer.”
While internal tensions mount, Congress has moved aggressively on the Epstein issue. In November 2025, lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law, setting the stage for the release of long hidden records.
That effort quickly bore fruit. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman ruled this week that secret grand jury transcripts tied to Epstein must be unsealed. Earlier this month, two additional federal judges ordered the release of other sealed materials related to Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence after being convicted on five federal sex trafficking charges. She has publicly stated that Trump was “not involved” in the sex trafficking activities. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has repeated that claim in public statements.
Against this backdrop, Bongino’s own words continue to fuel speculation. In September, he posted a striking message on his official X account that hinted at deep corruption within the federal government.
In that post, Bongino wrote that what he had uncovered “has shocked me down to my core,” and warned that the current system was unsustainable.
“During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening. The Director and I are committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations,” Bongino wrote.
He continued, “But what I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.”
Bongino closed with a pledge that investigations would proceed lawfully and transparently. “We are going to conduct these righteous and proper investigations by the book and in accordance with the law. We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE. As with any investigation, I cannot predict where it will land, but I can promise you an honest and dignified effort at truth. Not ‘my truth,’ or ‘your truth,’ but THE TRUTH.”
Whether Bongino exits quietly or is pushed out remains to be seen. What is clear is that the Epstein saga continues to expose fractures at the highest levels of federal law enforcement and political power, with consequences that are far from over.
