Live by the conspiracy theory, die by the conspiracy theory:
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino has told people he is considering resigning amid a major clash between the FBI and Justice Department over the continued fallout from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein memo, several sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
This comes after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the case earlier this week.
The infighting over the case came to a head during a Wednesday meeting, which included Bongino, Bondi, FBI Director Kash 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 FBI wanted more information released but was ultimately stymied by the Department of Justice, the sources said.
Bongino denied leaking that notion to NewsNation, which published the story, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, though he did not sign on to a statement defending the review included in that article.
CNN has reached out to Bongino and the FBI for comment. The sources cautioned that Bongino had not made up his mind, and it was possible he would stay in his position.
The episode comes as many of President Donald Trump’s close advisers, both inside and outside the White House, have grown increasingly frustrated with Bondi’s handling of the so-called Epstein files, following days of intense criticism from some of the president’s most devoted supporters.
Multiple sources said Bongino did not come to work Friday, fueling speculation he had quit over the issue. One source said as of Friday afternoon he had not left his position.
“The whole thing has been a complete mess and no one is happy,” a source briefed on the matter told CNN.
If I had to guess, Bongino really hates having to do a real job and probably misses the big money he was making as a MAGA influencer. That’s his golden goose and being on the wrong side of the Epstein Files debacle isn’t good for his financial future.
But I have to say that this Epstein thing is looking more and more like a bridge for some of the MAGA true believers to get off the train. They can’t admit they were wrong, of course. But if they can use a pet conspiracy theory about the deep state to give them an excuse to condemn the MAGA leadership it might start the process of deprogramming the cult. I don’t know that for sure. But this Epstein flap looks like a deeper wound than I first imagined.
It does happen. I know that George W. Bush never had a cult following like Trump but he was incredibly popular during much of his first term and it wasn’t only Republicans who talked about him like he was God. The kitsch was almost as bad as it is with Trump (although Bush wasn’t personally selling the garbage out of the White House for his own profit.) When it became clear that we weren’t “winning” anything in Iraq and Afghanistan, his approval ratings started to deflate. Katrina and the financial crisis were the final nails in his coffin.
I think the economy may do that with Trump, followed by disgust with the immigration policy and the overall degradation of government services and necessary functions. (The total destruction of democracy and the rule of law is apparently a 5th tier issue for most people unfortunately.) It’s possible that the grassroots MAGA cult leadership is just seeing the writing on the wall and are starting to make their moves.
Or not …