Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel stand by the American and the Bureau's flags. (@FBIDDBongino on X)
Asked about the claim that Bongino yelled at Wiles, a White House official said it was "100% false." Wiles is a veteran of Florida politics who led Trump's campaign, and the president has described her as "universally admired."
The fracture in DOJ and FBI leadership spilled into the public on Friday amid fallout from the memo.
The memo stated that the DOJ and FBI concluded their review of Epstein's files and did not find any information that could lead to charges against anyone new.
Despite Bongino reportedly now breaking with leadership over the memo and weighing resignation, people familiar with the matter said as of Friday that FBI Director Kash Patel and Bondi remained in communication and that Patel is happy with his job.
A DOJ spokesman and an FBI spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN DIED BY SUICIDE, DID NOT HAVE CLIENT LIST: DOJ MEMO
A source with knowledge of the meeting disputes the characterization that Bongino yelled at Wiles or Bondi, however, the source agreed that Bongino was "enraged" by the handling of the Epstein memo rollout, and the lack of "transparency from the start" on the attorney general's part. (Reuters)
Before joining the bureau, Patel and Bongino both advanced theories that the government was hiding information about the case, including a supposed "list" of unindicted sexual predators.
The DOJ and FBI's memo poured cold water on that idea by noting that the agencies found "no incriminating ‘client list.'"
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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that DOJ and FBI leadership, including Bongino, were in lockstep during the compilation and release of the memo. The idea that "there was any daylight" between the FBI and DOJ was "patently false," Blanche said.
Bongino was not at work on Friday because he was so upset by the fallout from the Epstein memo, sources said. One said Bongino had not anticipated the backlash from his supporters.
Fox News' David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/inside-dan-bonginos-tense-meeting-white-house-officials-over-jeffrey-epstein-fallout