Dan Bongino, the No. 2 official at the FBI, said Wednesday that he would step down next month, bringing an end to his brief but tumultuous stint at the bureau, where he was known for his volcanic temper, missteps and hyperactive presence on social media.

“I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,” Bongino wrote on social media, shortly after President Donald Trump appeared to confirm earlier news reports that Bongino planned to step down by mid-January.

Bongino, a Trump political ally with minimal experience, at times struggled with the immense demands of a job that required running the day-to-day operations of the bureau — particularly his awkward efforts to square a previous embrace of conspiracies with FBI investigations that often debunked them.

Eyes Return to Podcasting and Social Media

He served less than a year in a post responsible for overseeing dozens of field offices around the country and world. He has suggested he would return to his previous job as a pro-Trump podcaster and social media personality.

Bongino had planned to announce his departure Friday but accelerated his announcement after Trump addressed his status with reporters Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The Long Island, New York, native was one of several political appointees — including Kash Patel, the FBI director — installed into senior positions at the bureau, a first in the agency’s history. It signaled the White House’s intent to wrest control of the law enforcement agency’s once proud independence.

Bongino’s departure seemed inevitable after the White House in August hired Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to share his job as deputy director. It was an unusual arrangement at the bureau for a job that had never been shared nor held by someone other than a veteran FBI agent.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Glenn Thrush, Maggie Haberman and Adam Goldman

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