Bulwark Takes — “BREAKING: Dan Bongino to Resign as FBI Deputy Director”

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Sam Stein
Guest: Will Sommer

Episode Overview

This Bulwark Takes episode covers the breaking news of Dan Bongino's upcoming resignation as Deputy Director of the FBI. Sam Stein and Will Sommer dissect the unique—and tumultuous—tenure of Bongino, a prominent pro-Trump media personality and former Secret Service agent. They explore the challenges Bongino faced transitioning from conspiratorial podcaster to the nation’s second-highest law enforcement post, why his presence in government was so peculiar, and what's next for both Bongino and his Trumpworld counterpart Cash Patel.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bongino's Resignation: The End of An Unusual Era

• Confirmation of Resignation

  • Between their recording and release, Dan Bongino announced on Twitter he would leave the FBI in January, thanking President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel.
  • Sam Stein reads Bongino’s statement (01:15)

• Media Reporting

  • Reports from Ms. Now and New York Times confirm he is clearing out personal effects, prepping to return to pro-Trump broadcasting in Florida (04:00).
  • Quote from Bongino (to reporters): “Print whatever you’d like. No one believes you anyway. Thanks.” (04:00)

• Sam Stein’s Framing

  • Explains significance: Not just news, but a lens on the intersection of media, conspiracism, and government.

2. The Bongino Era: A Strange, Unprecedented Appointment

• Will Sommer:

  • "It's Bonjean over. I would describe it." (02:59)
  • Calls Bongino’s FBI tenure “one of the strangest … in modern memory,” citing lack of FBI experience and media background (03:15).

• Stagecraft Over Substance

  • Discussion of Bongino’s penchant for dramatic announcements, such as the unfulfilled plan to resign at a pipe bomb press conference (05:00).
  • Stein: “Can you imagine? We got him, folks. And by the way, I’m out.”
  • Sommer: “Mission accomplished. See ya.” (05:16)

3. The Tension of Public Persona vs. G-Man Duties

• Performative Governance

  • Both Bongino and Patel accused of prioritizing image, social media presence over substance in their federal roles (05:22).
  • “So much of what they do... is just built around stagecraft and social media influence, really.” — Sam Stein (05:22)

• Emotional Vulnerability On Air

  • Sommer recalls appearances where Bongino was defensive about his work ethic and once cried on Fox News about his marriage and job pressures (05:32).

• Patel's Relationship Drama

  • Clip cited: Cash Patel on Katie Miller podcast, defending himself against critics who said he wasn’t working hard—“I think I get to, like, 15% [of my girlfriend’s shows].” (06:38)

4. Betraying the Base? Conspiracies in Office

• Conflicted Loyalties

  • Bongino, famous for peddling anti-FBI and Epstein conspiracies, struggled to reconcile his previous rhetoric with reality upon taking office.
  • Sommer: On Epstein, “he gets in and he says, oh, geez… from his point of view that Epstein did kill himself.” (07:21)
  • The reversal required Bongino to go on TV and tell his former fans to drop conspiracy theories, enraging many (07:21).

• Bongino’s Fox News Admission

  • Tape played: Bongino essentially admits to Hannity that he fabricated or exaggerated in his podcasting days:

    “I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions. That’s clear. And one day I’ll be back in that space. But that’s not what I’m paid for now. I’m paid to be your deputy director. We base investigations on facts.” (09:14)

  • Sam Stein: “He’s basically just prancing around the idea that he was full of shit for a while.” (10:30)

5. The Return to Conspiratorial Broadcasting

• Can Bongino Go Back?
  • Stein and Sommer debate if Bongino can return to his old audience after ‘betraying’ their narrative.
  • Sommer: “I think he can slide right back into it.” (11:26)
  • Bongino “was way more invested in Bureau work than Patel,” which could aid or hamper his return to media (12:32).
  • Risk: He could become “appointment viewing because he just starts spilling the beans on Bondi.” (12:02)
  • Both note tension between Bongino’s desire for loyalty and potential for resentment if he feels scapegoated.

6. The Broader Question: Should Podcasters Run the FBI?

• Will Sommer:

  • Jokes about other conspiratorial media figures as possible future nominees: “Julie Kelly… John Solomon...” (14:14)
  • Cites a New York Times story of Bongino attempting jujitsu with agents during training—resulting in his “getting beat up on the mat,” seen as emblematic of his out-of-place tenure (13:47).

• Legacy and Implications

  • Stein raises the credibility issue: “Isn’t it just sort of a disappointment to the people he conditioned that there’s going to be arrests, that Epstein was actually the center of this big cabal...” (14:54)
  • Sommer notes the hypocrisy: “You might say, ‘Well, gee, Dan, if only someone could have done something. Again, you were there.’” (15:22)

• Lax Final Days

  • Bongino reportedly not returning to office before resignation. Stein: “You know, we, we kind of need you in the office, Buddy. Can’t just be in Florida for three weeks. The threats don’t stop.” (16:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Will Sommer’s Quip (02:59):
  “‘It’s Bonjean over.’ I would describe it.”

• Sam Stein (05:22):
  “So much of what they do... is just built around sort of like, stagecraft and social media influence, really.”

• Dan Bongino to Sean Hannity (09:14):
  “I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions. That’s clear. And one day I’ll be back in that space. But that’s not what I’m paid for now. I’m paid to be your deputy director. And we base investigations on facts.”

• Will Sommer critiquing Bongino’s check-out (10:51):
  “He is already… thinking, okay, I got a box up you the newspaper clippings. I gotta box up my old Secret Service memorabilia…”

• Sam Stein's jab at absenteeism (16:07):
  “You know, we kind of need you in the office, Buddy. Can’t just be in Florida for three weeks.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bongino’s Resignation goes public:
  01:00 – 01:50
• Analysis of tenure and media/Times coverage:
  02:59 – 05:22
• Persona vs. responsibilities, emotional TV moments:
  05:22 – 06:59
• Epstein, conspiracies, and the fans' backlash:
  07:21 – 08:46
• Fox News clip: Bongino admits to talk-radio performance:
  08:46 – 10:30
• The future of Bongino and Trumpworld power dynamics:
  11:13 – 12:32
• Will podcasters keep getting government jobs?
  13:59 – 14:32
• Credibility and legacy discussion:
  14:54 – 16:22
• Absenteeism and closing thoughts:
  16:07 – 17:04

Tone & Style

The dialogue is snappy and wry, blending sarcasm with genuine insight. Stein and Sommer maintain a knowing, almost bemused tone as they deconstruct the absurdities of Bongino’s government stint and the larger spectacle of influencer-politicians. They revel in the spectacle but conclude by raising serious questions about the fitness of “celebrity” personalities in power.

Summary:
This episode offers a biting, fast-paced post-mortem of Dan Bongino’s unlikely FBI leadership, his complicated relationship with conspiracy culture, and the blurring lines between clickbait and command. It captures both the surreal comic elements and the disquieting implications for American governance.