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Dan Bongino Scrambles to Explain Epstein Files Redaction Email

The FBI deputy director had faced questions over his role in a “special” project to redact Epstein-related materials.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is on the defensive after the release of an email showing he’d been made aware of the Trump administration’s sweeping redactions of Jeffrey Epstein files on his second day on the job.

Bongino, 50, was appointed to the post in March, having carved out a career as a MAGA-friendly podcaster who regularly demanded the government’s full and unredacted release of all documents relating to the late pedophile financier.

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But with the Trump administration having fought a months-long campaign to keep the files secret—which included a frantic scramble by the FBI last spring to make sweeping redactions—Bongino has since changed his tune, with minimal explanation.

The former law enforcement officer insisted in May—a month after the March and April redaction sprint—that the administration was taking its time with the materials in order to protect Epstein’s victims. He had not publicly addressed the files since that time.

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But internal FBI emails published by Bloomberg over the weekend showed that he had been forwarded an email on March 18—the day after he joined the bureau—related to “guidance” on the types of redactions to apply to the Epstein files.

After some questioned what that said about his role in the redactions, Bongino broke his months-long silence on the matter late Sunday to say the email was really just not that big of a deal.

“Folks, I entered on duty on March 17th. The emails in the chain you see forwarded to me, at my request, were sent before I began in my position,” Bongino wrote on X. “I wanted to review what have (sic) been done before I entered on duty. It was a priority and, as you can see, they responded immediately. I’m glad that these emails are available for your review.”

He did not elaborate further on the redactions or what is in the files.

However, the internal correspondence obtained by Bloomberg’s FOIA Files raises questions about Bongino’s role in the “Special Redaction Project,” as well as about the project itself.

The documents show the bureau scrambling over several months in the first half of 2025 to prepare Epstein-related records for potential release, running up almost $1 million in overtime for staff as the Trump administration dithered over what to make public.

After promising to release all the Justice Department’s Epstein files during his campaign, Trump put Attorney General Pam Bondi in charge of the matter after his return to the White House. In February, Bondi, 60, further stoked anticipation of major revelations to come by telling supporters Epstein’s “client list” was sitting on her desk.

According to Bloomberg, FBI Director Kash Patel then ordered roughly 1,000 agents to the bureau’s Central Records Complex in Winchester, Virginia, for crash redaction training on what was dubbed the “Epstein Transparency Project” or “Special Redaction Project.”

Between March 17 and March 22 alone, the bureau paid $851,344 in overtime. From January to July, staff logged 4,737 overtime hours, more than 70 percent of which occurred in March, as agents worked nights and weekends.

On May 10, at this point having apparently been aware of the redaction process for almost two months, Bongino wrote on X: “There are voluminous amounts of downloaded child sexual abuse material that we are dealing with. There are also victim’s (sic) statements that are entitled to specific protections. We need to do this correctly, but I do understand the public’s desire to get the information out there.”

The Justice Department finally tried to put the whole matter to rest on July 7, when Bondi issued a formal statement saying they had found “no incriminating ‘client list.’” That same day, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced that no further files from the Epstein investigation would be released, a move that came as a shock to many of Trump’s own supporters.

While Bongino has not commented directly on the case since early June, and only then to say he believed Epstein’s death in custody had been a suicide, he was reportedly “enraged” by the DOJ’s nothing-to-see-here announcement in July.

CNN reported at the time that Bongino had skipped work, threatened to resign, and clashed with Bondi over the administration’s reversal on releasing more Epstein files.

Though Bongino returned, his relationships with the White House and Justice Department were said to have been strained.

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Despite initial resistance, Trump, 79, signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 19, compelling the DOJ to release the records within 30 days while allowing redactions to protect ongoing probes and victims.

A Manhattan judge has since pushed the DOJ to clarify exactly what it will unseal.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, with whom he had a long and much-publicized friendship.

The Daily Beast contacted the FBI, DOJ, and White House for comment. The DOJ declined to comment.

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