The FBI deputy director is Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who wrote best-selling books, ran unsuccessfully for office, and became well-known as a conservative commentator with TV appearances and a popular podcast.
In a tweet on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, President Trump announced the selection and praised Bongino as “a man of incredible love and passion for our Country.” The announcement, he said, was “great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice.”
The appointment puts two of Mr. Trump’s closest supporters in charge of the country’s main federal law enforcement organisation at a time when Democrats fear the president may try to target his opponents.
Bongino would report to FBI director Kash Patel, who took the oath of office Friday at the White House and has indicated that he intends to restructure the agency, including by moving hundreds of staff from its Washington headquarters and emphasising the agency’s traditional crime-fighting responsibilities.
Before becoming a well-liked right-wing figure, Bongino, 49, was on the presidential details for George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
In order to disseminate misleading information on the 2020 election, he rose to prominence as a key figure in the Make America Great Again political movement.
After Rush Limbaugh passed away in 2021, he was selected for a radio show that ran during the same time slot as the well-known pundit for a few years.
Prior to joining the Secret Service, Bongino served with the New York Police Department from 1997 to 1999. He started commentating on Fox News over ten years ago, and from 2021 to 2023, he hosted a Saturday night show on the network.
After relocating in 2015, Bongino ran for congressional districts in Maryland and Florida in 2014 and 2016, as well as for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland in 2012. All three races were lost by him.
In an interview last October, Bongino criticised the Secret Service for the two assassination attempts last year and called it a “failed” organisation.
He also requested Mr. Trump to pledge to establish a panel to overhaul the agency. Bongino remarked, “That guy should have been nowhere near you,” in reference to the man who was seen carrying a gun and camped outside of Mr. Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to authorities.
The Secret Service agent who spotted the rifle’s barrel emerging from a bush was commended by Mr. Trump during the same interview.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice! Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI, by the man who will be the best-ever Director, Kash Patel. Dan has a Masters Degree in Psychology from C.U.N.Y. and an MBA from Penn State.
He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York’s Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful.
Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up to serve. Working with our great new United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Director Patel, Fairness, Justice, Law and Order will be brought back to America, quickly. Congratulations Dan!”