FBI deputy director Dan Bongino has emerged as the ‘fall guy’ in the Epstein case as he was the one who okayed the release of the surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell. But the footage had a ‘missing minute’ which has become the albatross around the neck of the administration, as MAGA commentators claimed that the ‘cover-up’ lies in that missing minute. The administration said that the old surveillance system took one minute to restart and that’s why it did not record one minute. Axios cited senior DC officials who said Dan Bongino vouched for the video, as he said he reviewed it and it was okay for release. But when there was a massive meltdown, Bongino “lost his mind and ran out of DC,” Axios reported.

Heated meeting in White House over the Epstein case

Axios reported that there was a heated meeting in the White House after the DOJ and FBI memo to close the Epstein case fell flat. Apart from Bongino and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the meeting was also attended by FBI director Kash Patel, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich.At the meeting, Pam Bondi said what she had to say, Dan said what he had to say but it didn’t end on Friendly terms, the Axios report added. And then, Bongino did not turn up to work Friday, leading to speculations that he is going to take the fall. The report also said that Bondi, Bongino and Patel all have complained to others that they were being unfairly blamed for the Epstein case.

No daylight between FBI and DOJ

Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche put out a statement on X claiming that he worked closely with Kash Patel and Dan Bongino on the joint FBI and DOJ memo regarding the Epstein Files. “The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo’s composition and release is patently false,” he wrote. A NewsNation article recently reported that a White House source said that Kash Patel would have released Epstein files months ago if he had the authority — hinting at the DOJ role that stopped him. The article was referred to at the heated White House meeting and Bongino said he was not the source.