This came after a confrontation Wednesday at a meeting with Bondi and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles during which Bongino and Patel were asked about a news story suggesting they were dissatisfied with the decision not to release any additional Epstein files, according to the source familiar with the perspectives of DOJ leaders and an additional source familiar with the meeting. The meeting was first reported by Axios.
The meeting “got pretty heated,” another source who was briefed on the meeting said.
“Bondi, [Deputy Attorney General] Todd Blanche, Patel and Bongino were on the same page on this all along, until the criticism started to come in,” the source familiar with DOJ leaders’ perspectives said. “Bongino couldn’t take it.”
An FBI spokesman did not respond to requests for comment, and the Justice Department declined to comment. In a statement responding to earlier news reports about Bongino’s dissatisfaction, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said, “President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims. This work is being carried out seamlessly and with unity. Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”
After Fields’ statement was provided to NBC News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt provided another statement in which she said, “President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda, restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, and bring justice to victims of crime. The continued fixation on sowing division in President Trump’s Cabinet is baseless and unfounded in reality.”
Two sources familiar with President Donald Trump’s thinking said he has not lost confidence in anyone involved.
The source familiar with DOJ leaders’ perspective said the White House is backing Bondi’s decision not to release any more files, which accompanied a Justice Department statement on Monday asserting that there is no secret Epstein client list and that no further charges against others are warranted.
The source familiar with the perspectives of Patel and Bongino say they have been increasingly frustrated with Bondi over a variety of issues, not just the Epstein files. The two men, who have daily interactions with Bondi, have made clear their displeasure, the source said.
Bongino has regularly posted about the bureau and criticism it has received on X during his time in the job.
The decision and DOJ statement on Epstein have sparked an uproar among many Trump supporters who believe there has long been a cover-up involving the Epstein files. Patel and Bongino have been among those who advanced that theory in recent years, with Bongino doing so on his popular podcast.
