By Steve Neavling
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is raising alarm over what he described as deeply disturbing findings tied to public corruption and the politicization of U.S. law enforcement.
In a cryptic statement posted Saturday on X, Bongino said what he has learned during ongoing investigations has left him shaken.
“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,” Bongino wrote. “We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.”
Bongino did not elaborate on what specifically prompted the comments, though he added that he and FBI Director Kash Patel are “committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations.”
The comments come amid renewed scrutiny of the FBI and Justice Department’s handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019.
According to The Hill, Bongino has expressed frustration over the Justice Department’s approach to the Epstein case and reportedly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month. He has even considered stepping down, the outlet reported.
In a meeting with former President Donald Trump in May, Bondi told him his name had appeared in the Epstein documents, CNN reported. The briefing, which included Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, also mentioned that several high-profile individuals were named in the files.
White House officials told CNN the meeting was a routine update and that Trump’s name was not the primary focus. They added that investigators found no credible evidence of a so-called Epstein “client list” and reiterated the government’s position that Epstein died by suicide.
A joint FBI and DOJ memo released earlier stated the same.
