On Thursday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced that the bureau has successfully dismantled a significant Chinese espionage operation operating within the United States, which included agents actively attempting to recruit American service members to betray their nation.
In a statement shared on X, Bongino revealed that the FBI executed eight search warrants and made two arrests in cities such as San Francisco, Houston, Portland, and San Diego as part of this operation. He characterized the spy ring as “sophisticated” and directly linked to the Chinese government.
“This is your FBI, and you deserve to know about the work we’re doing every day to keep our country and citizens safe,” Bongino stated.
This operation follows a series of incidents earlier this year where U.S. Army soldiers were discovered passing sensitive information to the People’s Republic of China, which Bongino referred to as “treason-adjacent espionage.”
According to the FBI, the foreign agents were attempting to acquire U.S. defense secrets and advanced technologies, including missile and drone capabilities, while also engaging in surveillance and intimidation efforts on American soil.
Since January 2025, the FBI has apprehended 51 foreign intelligence agents from countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The charges against them range from economic espionage and sanctions evasion to the theft of classified information and the smuggling of biological materials.
Bongino noted that the bureau currently has nearly 5,000 active counterintelligence cases, with over 800 new cases initiated this year alone.
“We typically work behind the scenes in this space,” he remarked, “but we recognize the necessity of rebuilding your trust in the FBI and learning from past errors.”
He further mentioned that the agency has declassified thousands of pages of counterintelligence documents and shared them with Congress to enhance transparency and restore public trust.
“God bless America, and all those who defend Her,” Bongino concluded.
The FBI’s deputy director has recently been the focus of considerable speculation concerning his position within the agency, as reports indicate he was displeased with the management of the Jeffrey Epstein situation.
Bongino returned to his duties on Monday following a disagreement with Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the approach taken in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, which had led him to contemplate resigning the previous week, as reported by The Post.
According to multiple sources who spoke to CNN, Bongino, 50, resumed work after taking a personal day on Friday; however, his future with the agency remains uncertain in light of the intense discussion with the head of President Trump’s Justice Department.
This week, the FBI and DOJ provided a document summarizing their review of the case against Epstein, who passed away in his Manhattan prison cell on August 10, 2019.
The management of the Epstein files has created a divide among Trump’s MAGA supporters, with some expressing support for Bongino had he chosen to resign in protest against the perceived lack of transparency in the case.
Prior to his involvement in the Trump administration, Bongino had long harbored suspicions that there was more to the Epstein case than what authorities were disclosing.
The former attorney for the deceased human trafficker Epstein stated unequivocally that Trump does not appear on the notorious list of clients associated with his former client.
David Schoen, who represented Epstein in the final weeks before his death in 2019, disclosed in June that he had inquired with his incarcerated client about any potential damaging information regarding Trump.
“I was engaged to lead Jeffrey Epstein’s defense as his criminal attorney just nine days before he died. He had sought my counsel for several months prior to that. I can assert with authority, unequivocally, and definitively that he possessed no information that could harm President Trump. I specifically posed that question to him!” Schoen stated in a post on X.
