What you need to know:

• Dan Bongino announced on X that he will leave the FBI in January
• He made the announcement after Trump confirmed Bongino's departure
• Bongino was an influential right-wing podcaster and conspiracy theorist before being appointed by Trump
• It's one of the highest-profile departures of a Trump appointee

Dan Bongino announced on Wednesday that he will step down from his role as deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US's domestic intelligence and security services.

Bongino posted the news on X just hours after President Donald Trump said he thought Bongino wanted to "go back to his show."

Bongino had hosted a prominent right-wing podcast prior to joining the FBI.

"Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show," Trump told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

In his short post announcing his departure on Wednesday, Bongino thanked Trump and others "for the opportunity to serve with purpose."

Bongino's departure comes after less than 10 months in office. He didn't give a reason for the decision or say exactly when he would leave.

The FBI's co-deputy director, Andrew Bailey (who was appointed in August in a rare sharing of the position), had already led some of the meetings that Bongino was expected to handle in the past few days, CNN reported.

Bongino's FBI appointment unusual from start

Bongino was an unconventional pick for the FBI's second-highest role when he assumed office in March.

Historically, career agents who had worked their way up the ranks filled the post.

Bongino had previously worked as a New York City police officer and Secret Service agent. But the MAGA-friendly podcast host had no FBI experience before Trump appointed him.

A report by active and retired FBI agents leaked in December was withering about Bongino's lack of experience, calling him "in over his head."

He has also clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on charges of running a network in which underage girls were used for sex.

Bongino promoted conspiracy theories around January 6 riots, Epstein

As a conservative podcast host, Bongino spread a range of conspiracy theories, including the claim that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from Trump.

He was especially vocal about two conspiracy theories – one relating to the Jeffery Epstein sex-trafficking case and another about pipe bombs discovered in Washington on the eve of the January 6, 2021, storming of Capitol Hill.

In his podcast, Bongino had long pushed for reform of the FBI, which he said was needed to uncover the truths he claimed were hidden by the federal government.

On the Epstein case, Bongino had previously challenged the official ruling that Epstein had taken his own life in jail soon after his arrest in 2019. He backtracked on this, however, earlier this year, saying that he now believes sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein killed himself.

As for the pipe bombs placed outside Republican and Democrat headquarters on the eve of the January 6 riots, Bongino said as recently as 2024 that he believed it was an "inside job" that involved a "massive cover-up."

But after the FBI arrested a man with no evident connection to the federal government earlier this month, Bongino again backtracked on his previous claims.

"I was paid in the past for my opinions," Bongino said in a Fox News interview. "One day I will 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."

Edited by: Kieran Burke