Dan Bongino —former NYPD officer, Secret Service agent, and outspoken right-wing firebrand—is now set to be the next deputy director of the FBI. Former President Donald Trump made the announcement late Sunday night on his social media platform, confirming that newly appointed FBI Director Kash Patel had tapped Bongino for the role. Since the position doesn’t require Senate confirmation, it cements two of Trump’s most loyal allies at the top of an agency that has long prided itself on political independence.
Dan Bongino Looks to Rebuild the FBI
The move comes just as the FBI Agents Association was privately assured by Patel that the next deputy director should come from within the agency. That promise didn’t hold, and now there’s growing unease among rank-and-file agents about what this leadership duo means for the future of the bureau.
The FBI has yet to comment on the decision.
Dan Bongino, for his part, is already on the offensive. In a statement posted Monday, he called FBI staff “dedicated people” who “deserve leadership that will back them up, protect their mission, and ensure they can do their jobs.” He added, “I’m here to work. I’m here to lead. And I’m here to ensure that America’s law enforcement institutions uphold the values and integrity they were built upon.”
A Radical Departure from Tradition
Historically, the role of deputy director has gone to a senior FBI agent—someone with deep institutional knowledge, international intelligence connections, and experience running the bureau’s massive, complex operations. Bongino’s appointment shatters that precedent. Neither he nor Patel have ever served as FBI agents, raising serious concerns about how they will manage an agency of 38,000 employees with an $11 billion budget.
To put it bluntly: this is the least experienced leadership team in FBI history. And with both men known for pushing conspiracy theories and embracing partisan warfare, the move is sure to fuel fears of increased White House interference in an agency meant to operate independently.
Bongino’s hardline rhetoric speaks for itself. In 2018, he declared, “My entire life right now is about owning the libs.” He has repeatedly railed against the so-called “deep state” and has pushed misinformation about the 2020 election, COVID-19, and Democratic “spying” on Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Fallout Inside the Bureau
Moreover, Bongino steps into his new role amid a period of major upheaval at the FBI. The Justice Department recently forced out several senior executives with decades of experience overseeing key divisions. The status of Brian Driscoll and Robert C. Kissane—the acting director and acting deputy director prior to Patel’s confirmation—remains unclear. Their initial refusal to hand over names of FBI personnel who investigated the January 6th insurrection won them respect inside the bureau, and many had hoped they would stay on to stabilize the transition.
The FBI Agents Association had urged Patel to choose a deputy from within the agency—something he reportedly agreed to just last month. That assurance now appears meaningless, fueling speculation about whether Bongino’s appointment was Patel’s choice or if it was pushed by Trump himself.
Dan Bongino Rise to Political Stardom
Before being thrust into this high-profile law enforcement role, Bongino ran unsuccessfully for office three times before finding his niche as a media provocateur. He hosted Trump on his Fox News show in 2021, at a time when much of Rupert Murdoch’s empire was attempting to distance itself from the former president. A combative and loyal Trump defender, he regularly clashed with more traditional conservatives, once accusing Geraldo Rivera of “backstabbing” Trump over criticism of January 6th.
Dan Bongino eventually left Fox News in 2023 but remained a dominant voice in right-wing media, using his platform to push conspiracy theories and election fraud claims. His aggressive, no-holds-barred style catapulted him into the spotlight, and his appointment to the FBI’s No. 2 post raises urgent questions about how the bureau will maintain credibility under his watch.
The Road Ahead
In his first message to the FBI, Patel sought to reassure agents, saying, “I will always have your backs, because you have the backs of the American people.”
What that actually means under the leadership of Patel and Bongino is a question that will shape the future of the FBI—and potentially, the country’s law enforcement landscape as a whole.
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