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

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.