'Major clash': White House reporter says MAGA infighting over Trump move is real

11 July

Unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump, many critics say, is the cardinal rule in his second administration. But that doesn't mean there aren't conflicts and infighting among Trump's MAGA loyalists and appointees.

According to far-right Trump ally and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is considering leaving that position. Loomer tweeted that Bongino "is now seriously thinking about resigning from the FBI as Deputy Director over Pam Blondi's mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein file release and the lack of transparency at the DOJ."

Reporting from CNN also sheds light on tensions between Bongino and other Trump appointees.

Friday afternoon, July 11, Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez of CNN reported that Bongino's frustration "comes after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the case earlier this week."

According to the CNN reporters, "The infighting over the case came to a head during a Wednesday, (July 9) meeting, which included Bongino, Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the sources said. Bongino and Patel were confronted about whether they were behind a story that said the FBI wanted more information released but was ultimately stymied by the Department of Justice, they said. Bongino denied leaking that notion to NewsNation, which published the story, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, though he did not sign on to a statement defending the review included in that article."

The CNN journalists note that this "episode comes as many of President Donald Trump's close advisers, both inside and outside of the White House, have grown increasingly frustrated with Bondi's handling of the so-called Epstein files, following days of intense criticism from some of the president’s most devoted supporters. Multiple sources said Bongino did not come to work Friday, fueling speculation he had quit over the issue. One of those sources said that as of Friday afternoon, he had not left his position."

On X, formerly Twitter, Collins posted, "It's accurate that Dan Bongino has told people he’s considering resigning amid a major clash between the FBI and DOJ over the fallout from the Epstein memo. (It remains to be seen if he actually does.) But hard to overstate the infighting happening over this the last few days as MAGA anger has not let up."

On MSNBC's "Deadline White House," New York Times reporter Adam Goldman discussed the conflict with host Nicolle Wallace and said, "This is blowing up in their faces."

Wallace commented, "We're all sc----- when the FBI doesn't work."

In a July 11 post on X, CNN reporter Aaron Blake weighed in on the tensions at the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), posting, "Patel and Bongino have spearheaded efforts to root out leakers — including via polygraphs. Now administration officials apparently suspect them of leaking.

Read the full CNN article at this link.

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