FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirms via his X account, that he will be leaving the FBI in January.
This announcement does not come as a surprise to those follow the details of corrupt systems closely and who have watched the scale of the problems surface through the years.
The problems within the FBI as an institution are systemic. Both Kash Patel and Dan Bongino faced a monumental challenge in trying to get their arms around the scale of the problem within the institution. There is no apple, only worms.
Any type of institutional confrontation at this scale can only succeed if the problems are first admitted. Bongino faced a big challenge with Director Patel refusing to accept institutional corruption was the biggest issue. You cannot correct problems of great consequence until you admit the core of the problem. No admission was made. The problems remain.
Inasmuch as we all wanted Dan Bongino to succeed, we must also admit to ourselves he did not possess sufficient skills that neuter the attack vectors that would be exploited against him. Training that skillset first starts with an inward conversation.
Easily identified attack vectors are mechanisms deployed by those who retain corrupt activity within the institution.
We knew from the outset the corrupt FBI actors would seek to remain in control by manipulating the leadership Trump dispatched to confront them.
Kash Patel’s primary attack vector comes as an outcome of his ego, desire for affluence and delusions of grandeur.
Dan Bongino’s attack vector was/is his emotional need to be liked and appreciated by his audience. As a broadcast personality an internal codependency heading is good for business. However, in an institutional leadership position that same a codependency mindset is the opposite of the skillset needed to confront a corrupt audience.
Emotional dependency, definitions of self-worth determined by an external audience, creates vulnerability. Corrupt FBI actors know how to exploit a personality that needs to be liked (Bongino), and corrupt FBI actors know how to exploit a personality that assigns value to the indulgences of position (Patel). This was the non-pretending baseline for easy to predict failure.
Former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz held a worldview that was counter to the perspective of President Trump. He did possess the skillset; he just held the wrong mindset. For Dan Bongino it was the opposite. Bongino holds the same mindset as President Trump, he just didn’t have the skillset.
Misaligned outlook or misaligned skillsets, when combined with easily identifiable attack vectors, creates manipulative opportunities for those who intend to continue corrupt endeavors within big institutional systems.
We wish Dan Bongino all the best as he returns to private life.
We will continue praying for Mr Bongino’s physical and emotional health, and we sincerely thank him for his efforts.
Dan Bongino’s net worth is estimated to be around $150 million. He’ll be just fine.
I believe Sundance well-wishes are in reference to Dan’s health. He faced a tough cancer diagnoses just a few years ago, underwent treatment, and really thought hard about whether to take this job or not. The cancer was in remission, but stress is not good.
I applaud your perspective TL. Thank you for that. I had not considered his cancer scare, but yes, it must have been a factor in his decision to step down.
Tremendous analysis by Sundance re the FBI. I am sick of hearing about the FBI having many good people. Enough of that!! Blow it all up & start all over again!!
I also cannot wait for Trump to replace Blondi with Sydney Powell. Get Sydney in there ASAP President Trump & step up the speed on those military tribunals too.
I will never go back to listening/watching his podcast. He’s lost all credibility to me. I’m sure there are many like me.
and I’m sure there are many like me who like Dan. He damn near won a seat here in this $hit state of Maryland. I believe he lost in a run off.
He tried and to his beliefs, he probably failed to do what he wanted.
Bongo Man will lose a majority of his MAGA audience if not all. His talk will be cheap from now on.
Binging was never very interesting. Of course, nobody measures up to Rush.
True. “The Maha Rushie” was interesting, even when he fell into drug addiction and (allegedly) cheated on his wife during those Dominican Republic junkets. Talker Magazine had The Rush Limbaugh Show up to 20 million unique listeners per week at the peak.
Dan’s were far below that but his audience numbers did consistently rise over time. Semrush analytics had the Bongino report at 3.06 million unique listeners in July 2025 after month-over-month increases.
When he returns, I won’t be listening. As likeable as Dan is, and he IS likeable, I fear that I would lose a couple of IQ points if I spent too much time listening to him screed. Lol. No offense to Dan intended.
So the conclusion of this article is that Kash Patel is a real problem at the FBI and he needs to go.
I wonder if President Trump is aware of this issue given the praise he keeps heaping on Patel and Bondi.
We are looking at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity going to waste, and Trump may pay dearly for this after he leaves office in 2029, especially if a lunatic Democrat president is selected. Nothing serious is being done about mass voter fraud.
Bingo! Patel has slithered into the swamp. Bondi is also less than MAGA. I would like to see cabinet and sub-cab positions to be very pro MAGA.
Real MAGA can’t get confirmed by the RINO senate for Justice/FBI/CIA. Unless the Boss sends in the Marines to capture the files/money/network, the false flags and psyops will just continue, under the cover of removing low level street crime. They won’t even confirm his patriot U.S. attorneys.
TRUMP 2028!
MAGA!!
Again, what happens to the FBI if it has no director? The next man up takes over. The organization doesn’t grind to a halt. Now, the President can make sure that the next man up is his man by just going through the ranks until he has the right guy.
McConnel and Thune and Grassley are the three (Trump @$$hats) in the senate. God willing the three are reduced to rubble in time to save this nation at a minimum,,,,, for another three years. Amen!
Fix that “Trump may pay dearly” to “we will pay dearly.”
President Trump probably knows he can’t get anyone decent approved.
Therein lies the problem.
Wiles has been shown to keep things from Trump. Wiles kept the political fallout on Epstein from Trump. She admitted that in the interview. No way she is going to say anything about the three stooges.
Trump made the SAME mistakes with personnel and Congress in his first term.
Trump actually improved.
At least no major infighting and No treasonous coups.
And some actually do what Trump wants. Hegseth, Rubio, Gabbard, Noem, etc.
For me a COS should not have an opinion. The job is to get the competing ideas in front of the President with the pros and cons. That is it. When I read all her opinions on issues and most of them at odds with MAGA, she went from COS to Handler. Giving 10 interviews to a rag that excoriates Melania is a bridge too far for me.
Never trusted Wiles after learning she was on the DeSantis team to keep Trump out. What on earth made him think she was the best to be had.
“There is no apple, only worms.”- Sundance There is no FBI, only lies!
Pres. Trump will praise his staff & cabinet until he doesn’t. IMO, the hammer will drop.
It’s going to waste due to trumps ego.
He is human and is the ONLY ONE standing between us and the Deep State. The Only One.
Tom Homan
Stephen Miller.
President Trump will suffer? No, we will suffer. Look at the UK.
I hope we are more courageous than the Europeans.
President Trump has already paid dearly!
And all it took for Patel to sell everyone out was a private jet and a name placard on his desk.
And his Country Western Stewardess/girlfriend.
I want to hear his first podcast when he comes back.
There’s the problem.
I doubt that you will hear anything of value because he won’t or can’t discuss what he knows
Apparently, he knows very little.
He knows a lot, but does (did) little in that role. He’s better at monetizing cheerleading than taking on Team Deep State.
Bongino will not be able to talk about any specifics or worthwhile topics due to the multiple NDAs he has to sign
Understood. I too will be curious as to how he ‘splains it.
I didn’t listen before and his first day back will be a one off.
It will be huge ratings and the next day drop like a rock.
Dan Bongino is a good guy. I just wonder what he saw in the FBI that made him want to leave.
My guess would be that an unstoppable force (Dan Bongino) met an immovable object (FBI) and so he ricocheted off into a different direction. It says that the layers of deceit and corruption is so embedded that it is hopeless. Just a guess.
Titanic vs. Iceberg——> You know the outcome.
Actual Real-Life Demonstration of Engineered Outcome:
Critical mass of victim population conditioned into believing a particular false narrative to the point it becomes cliche – like the false “Titanic vs. Iceberg” instead of the true “Titanic vs. explosives” planted by “the usual suspects”.
He saw evil..
“nice family you got there Mr. dan. ‘twould be a shame if anything bad happened to them … “
Its a good thing our founding fathers were made from sturdier stock. Their whole world, family and property were threatened and worse. Bongino, like Flynn and others took the easy way out under threats.
You apparently aren’t familiar with the way the founding fathers and their families suffered and/or died as a result of standing firm.
Maybe it was trying to move forward on the critically important investigations and the internal housecleaning that we know needs to be done.
Go back to Sundance’s articles. You will see. Once you see it you cannot unsee it. You will struggle to sleep and have to work at living your best life. It is like an evil shadow lurking just behind you.
SAID CORRECTLY
SKILL SETS vs MIND SETS ( Vulnerabilities )
The PERFECT WARRIOR IS One that HAS THE SKILL SETS And IS RIGHTEOUS In HIS QUEST FOR THE GOAL
( a TRUE KAMIKAZE ” DIVINE WIND ” )
HARD To FIND… WE ALL Have ” Chinks in Our Armor “
Kamikaze were created because they couldn’t teach the right skill set anymore.
Kamikaze = Trumpican
Bongino did very little while in DC. I am relieved to see him go. I will pray for strong leadership to rise to top with Trumps help. May God help us!!
What makes you say that?
Lack of perp walks, for starters. There have been zero arrests of those responsible for 1/6. Zero arrests of Epstein’s perverted pals. The pipe bomber case hoax. The Epstein files hoax. The assassination attempts hoax. The list goes on.
Instead, we get the usual diet of breathless announcements of transtifa terrorism plots interrupted by the brave and diligent work of the FBI.
Was never a fan and won’t be one in the future.
I want him to use his microphone to expose Bondi and if necessary, to also browbeat Kash.
We have 3 years (or less depending on the midterm outcomes) to right this ship.
Time is being grossly wasted.
I don’t think midterms matter. Dems win midterms: obvious impeachment or other faux cause célèbre; nothing gets done. GOP wins midterms: lame duck two years for Trump…no one willing to rock the boat in run-up to 2028. The first two years of a second-term Administration are the most important.
Great, succinct breakdown of mindset/outlook verses skillset misalignment or vice versa. That seems to be one of President Trump’s flaws. The inability to match his people’s shared outlook with the proper role for their respective skillset. With all the worms in DC, picking perfectly is darn near impossible.
This is not a surprise at all. His time at the fbi has been a complete failure, even he is realizing just how bad he did.
He is cutting his losses, and running.
Bongino wasn’t that great of a podcaster. Every time I watched his show he was ‘I have internal sources but I can’t tell you what they said.’ Very annoying.
Same thing with the guests on Bannon’s show. Same with Tucker. Same with Alex Jones.
They are all full on narcissists and manipulators.
It’s the ‘Network’.
Its D.C.
The home of the anonymous manipulation.
JMO.
One down, susie, bondi and patel to go ……… along with the biden carryovers in the DOJ and FBI.
The management trio stopped the firing of all the thousands of carryover, weaponizing, biden thugs in the DOJ and FBI.
MAGA / America First isn’t just our motto, it is our duty!
I can’t for the life of me, understand why there is ANYBODY who worked for osamabiden, Clinton still in place. They should have been l9ng gone eons ago. Each one of them is an IED.
Inertia hysteresis.
Takes a long time to eat an elephant one bite at a time.
Too long.
Bring Gaetz back.
Gatetz needs a 747 to carry all of his baggage
Thank you for your wonderful words of support, encouragement and grace towards a man who only wants what each of us want, Sundance, to support President Trump and our Constitutional Government.
Godspeed, Dan.
So…. Who should #MAGA get behind?
If one can build and protect a wall, he could surely tear one down – MAGA/HOLMAN!
He doesn’t state a reason, “to spend more time with family,” “due to health concerns,” “I have accomplished what I came to accomplish,” etc.
Just, I’m leaving.
I think Sundance nailed it. Bongino wants/needs to be liked. His job isn’t conducive to what he needs. Waltz doesn’t need to be liked, but doesn’t share the same mindset/outlook. The reason for Bongino leaving is he can’t get what he needs and do the job that needs to be done.
Can’t do his job as he should when there’s no transparency needed to accomplish what must be delivered.
BURN IT DOWN
“The problems within the FBI as an institution are systemic.”
The problems within the FBI as an institution are existential. It needs to NOT exist. You can’t refurb a tear-down.
Dan is not who we thought he was either
Agreed. It began with aweakening of a long serving represetative in western MD when Bongina ran for Congress shich turned that seat blue.
Sorry to see Dan go, but his hands were tied from the get-go. IMO, there is a take no prisoners warrier in him.
What PDJT really needs to do with his staff & cabinet is put the screws to them. No more interviews with “unfriendlies”, stop announcing plans on social media, no more use of “influencers” (Bondi), no more preening for the camera (Kash). We don’t need the “behind the scenes” gossip (Wiles), we need action. PDJT knows how to work the media, his cabinet & staff don’t. Leave that to him. He needs to demand his cabinet and staff make sure they cross every “t” and dot every “i”. “Personalities” on a world stage don’t work. It’s past time they put them aside, they have real work to do. Push PDJTs agenda hard! Get some indictments to stick!
In other words, turn him into Hitler.
A nicer Hitler ….
I was flipping the channels yesterday I think or maybe last night and there was Judge Jeanine and one of the blonde ladies (can’t remember her name, been seeing her for seems like 40 years!) The judge was reporting on something that is in the news. Fox has sure been blessed with all the MAGA higher ups that trickle in and out. Does MAGA people watch Fox anymore? I haven’t for several years.
Dan always had good instincts when it came to connecting the dots but being inside of the belly of the beast was a shock to him. He himself was overwhelmed at how bad things really were. You could tell it really disturbed him.
I will be interested to see what his approach to his show will be. His new insights should be good.
The FBI (2nd in charge) admin role is no doubt a political challenge. Bongino did not not succeed in two attempts at purely political advancement losing in 2 different primary races in Maryland. Success in that environment is ultimately part of the “skillset” he lacks.
Frankly, I never really enjoyed his radio show featuring his self aggrandisment related to his physical prowess and insight into other peoples failures (in the LEO world). Thus all the good ideas and componenets needed for FBI 2nd admin leadership would never congeal. Sorry for everyone, it just didnt happen.
Bongino (and the nation) would have been far better off if he’d taken the role of Secret Service Director. He had a ton of insider knowledge how that agency works and what it would take to fix it. FBI AD needs a take-no-prisoner operator, someone with an attitude like Tom Homan has. Bongino simply doesn’t have that instinct.
For those of you who haven’t deduced what’s going on, the FBI is going to be saved (for reasons which escape me) by going after Garland and Jack Smith and blaming them. Bongino is leaving because he wants to burn it to the ground, and that’s not going to happen.
The analysis delivered by Sundance here is right on. I have worked within public government for 50 years, and every administrative body has it’s own culture or system by which it operates. Someone not skilled to deal with that system will be crushed by it quickly, or will become another accommodating cog in the wheel in a very short time. It takes a very disciplined, well-informed and experienced person to take on these administrative systems. Good effort here, dear Sundance!
Surprised he stuck it out that long.
Now he has to attempt to gain back his credibility.
Regardless of how much money you have, once you lose that…
The need to be liked is just one side of the coin. The other is Dan’s implicit trust of those in law enforcement – “blue wall” habits die hard. And maybe with good reason, there are many in law enforcement who do good work day in and day out. On the the otherhand, the government’s monopoly on the use of force requires a constant critical evaluation, down to the agent level. This is where Dan was uniquely unsuited for the role, his cynicism should have told him to question every.single.agent. But his implied trust gave him license to look past the real deep state actors for a handful of patsies and lost cause agents.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? We’d like an answer Dan.
No one will be successfully confirmed for these positions (Director / Deputy Director) who has the necessary Nuke & Pave mindset, so the problems will persist and fester. To the extent that Patel and Bongino have moved the needle (if, indeed, it has moved), in time the bureau will return to being the Left’s (and part time Uniparty’s) personal Stasi.
in total agreement.
I wonder if Bongino will have to sign a non disclosure agreement upon leaving. Surely, if he goes back to his online show, they would not ant him to be able to discuss the corruption and mismanagement that he saw first hand.
There is chatter that the entire FBI will be dismantled. It is, as Sundance said, all worms.
Wow. Excellent analysis. Thank you, Sundance.
Perhaps Dan feels he can do more behind a microphone. And enjoy his life again.
The most important president America has ever had please pray for our country. God extended Nineva an additional 100 years as their King encouraged all the people to show God their remorse. He is a kind loving God who is just.
Thanks for pointing that out! ❤️❤️❤️
Sadly, this article points out why, unless big changes occur, the fruits of President Trump’s efforts may remain short lived after his departure. The nation requires: a ruthless unrelenting leader. President Trump seems unrelenting but not ruthless. His personnel choices sabotage any long term reforms he might attempt. Bondi and Patel might only be the tip of the ice berg. Equally sad: our country has entered the slow phase of decline that infects all empires in time. The refusal to pull back the frontiers to the essential defense of the country as opposed to the projection of power across the globe; the wars to generate profits for big contributors; the corruption that runs so deeply, suggests that perhaps only a Caesar might stem the decline. But then what? John Quincy Adams might be proven correct: that democracies typically commit suicide after 250 years. The Founders never anticipated that the elected leadership of the country, as both Obama and Biden and their underlings, would hate the country and take active stems to harm it; they never anticipated that grifters like the two Clintons would sell the country out for private wealth and then get away with it; they never anticipated that a Biden would be an agent of a foreign and hostile power. So the normal Constitutional means of addressing the effects of such betrayals will not correct the problems or heal the wounds they inflicted. Sad.
Bonjino needs the strength of his followers. Patel was a lost cause the day he was sworn in and got so flustered by the many, probably FBI agents, who clapped and cheered. The agents studied and, like Sundance writes, knew exactly how to handle each. Bonjino could have made a big difference he he’d had a true leader. Good luck Dan, peace and God bless.
Now do Kaptain Kross-eyes.
This is not an institution for honest men.
THE SWAMP is NEVER changing.
The entire infrastructure of DC is encapsulated with libs, far left loons (Lerner) that will NEVER allow any changes to take place.
ANY change will be minimal. A POTUS would need a minimum of 8 consecutive yrs to make any headway and unsure if could be done in 8Y. 4Y, nothing is happening nor changing.
Folks at top (Patel, Bondi, etc) change; however, the rank & file underneath, the 95-98% of the force do not change 4Y or 8Y.
O had his soldiers ‘at the top’ working 8Y and he had the work force underneath. That’s why he was so successful changing the fabric of the USA. And, for the most part, we haven’t moved much of that needle at all. Had Trump had 8 consecutive yrs, maybe, but he hasn’t chosen that well in my opinion to see any change. (Bondi, Patel). I will give 100% credit to Pete and the military; he has moved mountains. And O still have most of his soldiers working under Biden to boot. Actually, they continue to work.
We best hope we keep the WH in 2028 to have any chance of keeping America from crumbling and being destroyed like O and Biden did.
I believe Dan is a great American. Trump needs to clean house at DOJ & FBI starting with Blondie and Cash.
It’s not unusual for administration officials choosing to move on after a year or so, so I don’t see anything nefarious or surprising in Bongino’s pending resignation.
The Department of Justice is the perfect storm of failure because Thune and other GOP senators are too scared to nominate and stand by capable candidates. People calling for Bondi’s head can never answer, “If not her, then who?” because there is no right answer. Jack Smith has a better chance of becoming AG than a capable conservative.
What are the chances that Bongino follows Majorie Taylor Cheney’s lead and makes the rounds on the socialist talk circle to dump on the administration?
I also wish Dan Bongino well. Trump gave him a chance.
We need an attack dog… actually an attack dog pack… to go after the FIB. Ruthless. Focused. Unbothered by emotions or ties.
The metaphor – I have livestock guardian dogs, lots of them. They are gentle and caring towards the calves who are born here, but ruthless and dangerous to the coyotes who approach. They guard the farm like we need the country guarded.
What does an “attack dog” do, when given the instruction that the mountain lion killing his sheep must not be killed, but controlled?
The problem here is, the FBI is utterly corrupt, right to the last agent, and should be eliminated altogether. But Bongino (and Patel) have been instructed to “reform” the un-reformable.
Dan once said that if he left this job, it would be because the FBI was too rotten to reform. He gave no reason, such as health, or family, in his farewell. He knows that we know what he said before.
Read between the lines.
Gay man with no family (so to speak) kinda like the first director except better!
Seems to me Dan is leaving have failed at accomplishing anything substantive.
Surely he took the job with an understanding, expectation, goals and objectives. If not, his error. What happened? Not much.
Disappointing.
Remember the US Senate – specifically weak ‘republicans’ – is the real problem in our country.
Matt Gaetz was abused by them and would have been ideal for AG.
For those of us who love our country we can only hope the FBI are the good guys fighting crime and protecting us from the bad guys.
Oh but according to “John Solomon” Dan always planned to leave by the first of the year! He wanted to catch the J6 pipe bomber and he accomplished that so job is done! What a joke. Does anyone believe this?
Listening to Solomon make that statement last night with Bannon/RAV personalities all around buying this was quite stunning. I’m a Bannon/Warroom fan but I’m not going to pretend when it comes to this level of stupidity.
I caught hell last winter for saying Ca$h was not qualified to be FBI Director. It’s not just a personality defect, but a span of control problem.
Swamp creatures are pathologically incapable of admitting the government is corrupt. And in fact they view their corruption as a moral duty – see Jim Comey.
Pres Trump shares some blame here. I said 8-9 months ago that exactly one speech needed to be given, live, to the entire FBI simultaneously. Call them out. Tell them exactly what they are. State precisely how they lie to frame innocent people and frame political enemies.
Nobody is willing to do this. So nothing changes.
If Bongino tries to pick up where he left off, returning to his radio program, then the acid test for him will be whether he begins to deny what he affirmed while in office, or, conversely, affirms what he denied. One thing American people have had it with, at least on the Right, is being lied to.
J
Examples?
He hasn’t left office yet, so how could there be any? The test comes later.
But Bongino has been a team player while in office, with no hint of the doubts he had about the agency as a private commentator. Every violent malcontent has “acted alone” even when the evidence suggests collusion. We’ve got the full story about Epstein when people know better (frankly, I’d just as soon see that matter put to rest, but still…). If he returns to his broadcast and tries to pick up where he left off, as a chief skeptic of what’s coming out of Washington, then you’ll know it’s all just a shtick.
J
Dan Bongino is a schmuck. Once a schmuck always a schmuck. Dan can just ride off into the dust bin of history.
Danny “Bajina” Boing-boing-Bonjina just bounced…
Exit Curly, where’s Shemp?
There is only one answer for the FBLie….
Completely eliminate it…..
Prosecute those who how overstepped their bounds….
It’s the only way…..
Well said Sundance. Thank you. Of course you are spot on and recognized this exact thing from the beginning as far as personalities were concerned.
I said yesterday, PDJT’s cabinet is awesome, the only weak link is the DOJ. If he does not fix it, no one will ever be found guilty of treasonous acts and will resurface again after Trump leaves office and he will be the HUNTED again and probably destroyed forever.