The departure of Mr. Bongino had seemed inevitable since August, when the White House hired Missouri’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, to share his job as deputy director.
Even adversaries of Jack Smith, the former special counsel, conceded that his tight-lipped, painstaking approach made tripping him up particularly difficult.
Kash Patel’s impulse to publicize the work of the bureau under his leadership has revived questions about his competence and his future in the administration.
Even if Trump officials have privately criticized Mr. Patel, particularly over his use of government assets, rumors about his firing or forced resignation have yet to materialize.