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 involved 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 including 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 be informed about the efforts we undertake daily to ensure the safety of our country and its citizens,’ 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.’The FBI reported that 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 activities 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 evasion of sanctions 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 usually operate behind the scenes in this area,’ he remarked, ‘but we recognize the necessity of rebuilding your trust in the FBI and learning from previous errors.’
He further mentioned that the agency has declassified thousands of pages of counterintelligence documents and has shared them with Congress to enhance transparency and restore public trust.
“God bless America, and all those who defend Her,” Bongino stated.
The FBI’s deputy director has recently been the focus of considerable speculation concerning his position within the FBI, as reports indicate he was displeased with the management of the Jeffrey Epstein situation.
Bongino resumed his duties on Monday after a disagreement with Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the approach to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation led him to contemplate resigning the previous week, as reported by The Post.
Numerous sources informed CNN that Bongino, 50, returned to work following a personal day taken on Friday; however, his future with the agency remains uncertain after the intense discussion with the head of President Trump’s Justice Department.
This week, the FBI and DOJ provided a document summarizing a 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 of the case’s purported lack of transparency.
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Bongino had long suspected that there was more to the Epstein case than what authorities were disclosing.
The former attorney for the deceased human trafficker Epstein “unequivocally” stated that Trump is not present 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 lawyer nine days before he died. He sought my counsel for months prior to that. I can assert authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively that he possessed no information that could harm President Trump. I specifically questioned him!” Schoen remarked in a post on X.
