Bongino still in limbo as Trump fumes and JD Vance seeks to play mediator, sources say

By Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes, Evan Perez and Paula Reid, CNN

(CNN) — Several of President Donald Trump’s top officials went to work on Monday with a key question unanswered: would Dan Bongino show up today?

The deputy FBI director did not go into the office Friday and largely excommunicated himself from most of his colleagues after a major fallout with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

As of Monday morning, no one in leadership at the Justice Department had spoken to Bongino since Wednesday, when he implied that he could no longer continue in his position as long as Bondi was there, sources familiar with the matter said.

The threat infuriated Trump, who spent the weekend fuming over both Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel, sources told CNN. Most of his fury was directed at Bongino, causing aides to expect that the deputy director would depart his job in the coming days. But Vice President JD Vance spent the weekend attempting to mediate, at times fielding calls from Patel, Bongino and Bondi, sources said.

It remains to be seen if Bongino ultimately resigns, which he told others he was considering. But sources say his relationship with the White House has become basically untenable. Even if he does not quit now, some inside the administration believe he will not stay in the job long-term.

Trump, asked Sunday whether Bongino was still the FBI’s deputy director, told reporters “I think so” and indicated they had spoken.

“I think so. I spoke to him today,” the president said. “Dan Bongino is a 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.”

Patel, meanwhile, said publicly he had no plans to resign from his role in a statement issued after it was made clear to him that the president was deeply unhappy with how he had handled things.

In a statement Monday, White House spokesman Harrison Fields made mention of Bondi, Patel and Bongino as part of Trump’s “incredible team of Law and Order patriots who are committed to Making America Safe Again and restoring the integrity of our criminal justice system.”

“Attorney General Bondi, Director Patel, Deputy Director Bongino, and the countless other heroes of our law enforcement community are dedicated to executing President Trump’s agenda of protecting civil rights, safeguarding communities, holding criminals accountable, and defending victims. This work will continue in lockstep and with unprecedented success,” the statement said.

The conflict has put Trump at odds with some of his most prominent MAGA supporters, who had hoped his administration would validate their theories that the government had been covering up a broader conspiracy involving Epstein and other powerful men. Those theories were dashed last week when the Justice Department released a memo concluding there was no evidence that Epstein had a so-called “client list” of such men. It also said the disgraced former financier and sex offender died by suicide and was not murdered in his New York jail cell. The memo enraged some Trump supporters, who noted that, in response to a reporter’s questions, Bondi had at one point claimed to have a client list on her desk. She has since said she was referring just to files related to the case.

The frustration over the Epstein case had been brewing inside the administration for months. But it came to a head during a Wednesday meeting, which included Bongino, Bondi, Patel and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, sources said. Bongino and Patel were confronted about whether they were behind a story that said the Justice Department stopped the FBI from releasing more information, they said.

Bongino denied leaking that notion to NewsNation, which published the story, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Trump has firmly sided with Bondi throughout the Epstein memo controversy. He publicly defended her and attended a soccer game Sunday with her by his side, showing how Bongino miscalculated the situation, officials said.

One Justice Department official told CNN that “Bondi is in a great headspace. Her relationship with Trump is as strong as ever, and she looks forward to going on offense.”

Despite the bad blood and accusations of leaks, Bondi isn’t seeking to fire Bongino and is ultimately leaving the decision about whether to stay or go up to him, a person familiar with the matter said.

Before he joined the FBI, Bongino was a podcaster who often weighed in on controversies, including raising questions about the handling of the Epstein case. One FBI lawyer raised concern early on that his outspokenness might one day complicate his ability to work in the bureau, an institution where officials generally have to exercise discretion even amid political firestorms, a source familiar with the matter said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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