FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Wednesday dismissed speculation that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison, stating unequivocally that the bureau’s evidence supports the official ruling of suicide.
Bongino addressed renewed conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s 2019 death while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“The evidence we have in our files clearly indicates that it was, in fact, a suicide,” Bongino said. “We do have video — it’s not the greatest video in the world — but it does show that he goes into the cell block, makes a phone call, and over the next 12 hours, guards come in to check on him. There’s no evidence of anyone else entering that area.”
“There’s nothing in the file that indicates anything other than a suicide,” he reiterated.
The Epstein case was one of several high-profile issues discussed during Bongino’s appearance. He outlined a broader transformation within the bureau, suggesting a shift back to core law enforcement functions.
“We’re not the Federal Bureau of freakin’ word games anymore, okay? It’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” he said.
Bongino also confirmed that the FBI has reopened its investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Damn right you are [going to find out],” Bongino said, when asked whether the American people would learn the truth. “I ordered that case immediately to be looked into again. We have a great investigator on it.”
The conversation also touched on the August 2022 FBI raid at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where agents seized 33 boxes of documents. That raid led to an investigation overseen by Special Counsel Jack Smith and resulted in 40 felony counts against Trump, including violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice.
“I’ll leave it at this: We found some troubling, really troubling items in there that we actioned immediately,” Bongino said.
He also addressed concerns about unequal application of justice, saying the treatment of Trump’s case compared to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden’s classified documents controversies was “fairly clear.”
Expanding on the FBI’s current caseload, Bongino confirmed ongoing investigations into a series of politically charged incidents: the 2023 discovery of cocaine inside the Biden White House, the 2022 leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, alleged retaliation against pro-life demonstrators, and complaints from parents at school board meetings.
The FBI, under new leadership including Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, has pledged greater transparency and enforcement focus amid growing public skepticism of federal agencies.
