The FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, confirmed on Wednesday that he is stepping down in January.
In a statement posted on social media, Bongino thanked Donald Trump, FBI director Kash Patel, and Pam Bondi, the attorney general he reportedly clashed with over her decision not to release files from the federal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
“Dan did a great job,” Trump told reporters earlier, when asked about reports that Bongino, a former Secret Service agent turned podcaster, planned to resign.
“I think he wants to go back to his show,” the president said.
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino to step down in January
Earlier on Wednesday, MS Now reported Bongino “quietly told confidants he plans to formally leave his job early in the new year”. Citing eight people briefed on his account, the outlet said Bongino would not be returning to the bureau’s headquarters this month.
Those individuals also told MS Now that Bongino, the No 2 official at the FBI under Kash Patel, considered announcing his departure on Friday.
Trump attacks Democratic foes in White House presidential portraits
White House officials on Wednesday revised what they call the “Presidential Walk of Fame,” installing plaques beneath portraits of former presidents that reflect Trump’s own views, including branding Joe Biden as “the worst president in American history”.
The changes are part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape the White House environment to match his preferences. Along the colonnade, portraits of past presidents now feature expanded text that permanently records Trump’s assessments of their records.
Four Republicans join Democrats to force vote on bill that would extend Obamacare subsidies
In a major setback for Mike Johnson and the House GOP, four Republicans have joined with Democrats to sign a petition forcing a vote on legislation that will extend for three years premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act healthcare plans.
The stunning move comes after House Republican leaders pushed ahead with a healthcare bill that does not address the soaring monthly premiums that millions of people will soon endure as the tax credits for those who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end.
Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up a research center praised as a “crown jewel” of climate research after accusing it of spreading “alarmism” about climate change.
Russell Vought, the director of the White House’s office and management budget, said the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, would be dismantled under the supervision of the National Science Foundation.
FCC chair suggests agency is not independent amid fears of Trump power grab
The Federal Communications Commission is not an “independent” agency, its chair suggested on Wednesday, as the word was scrubbed from its online mission statement.
Congress passes $901bn defense bill that includes support for Ukraine and Europe
The US Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to advance a $901bn bill setting policy for the Pentagon, sending the big piece of legislation to the White House, which has said Trump will sign it into law.
What else happened today:
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has urged the UN to “prevent any bloodshed” in Venezuela, as Trump piled more pressure on the South American country.
The US department of health and human services has terminated several multimillion-dollar grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics following the association’s criticisms of health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s policies.
The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman will become Trump’s Nasa administrator. The confirmation makes an advocate of Mars missions and an ally of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk the space agency’s 15th leader.
A federal judge on Wednesday said she would block Trump’s administration from laying off hundreds of federal employees, the latest legal setback for the president’s efforts to downsize the US government workforce.
Catching up? Here’s what happened Tuesday 16 December 2025.
