Podcaster and ex-Secret Service agent Dan Bongino will be FBI deputy director, Trump says
Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agen
turned conservative podcaster, has been appointed as the next deputy director of the FBI, President Donald Trump announced Sunday. His selection marks the latest in a series of outsider media figures chosen for key positions overseeing major government agencies.
Traditionally, the role of FBI deputy director has been held by a career FBI agent. Bongino’s appointment signals frustration within the administration over the FBI’s interim leadership, particularly regarding its weeklong standoff with acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove. Bove had demanded the names of FBI agents involved in investigations related to January 6, 2021, and Trump, a move that met resistance from the agency’s top officials.
Initially, newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel had expected Robert Kissane, the acting deputy director, to remain in the role. However, Kissane and Brian Driscoll—who served as acting FBI director before Patel took office—opposed Bove’s demands, prompting the change, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Trump praised Bongino in a Sunday night post on Truth Social, calling him a patriot with “incredible love and passion for our Country.” He highlighted Bongino’s law enforcement background and noted that he was willing to step away from his popular podcast and radio show, The Dan Bongino Show, to take on the role.
“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, and quickly. Congratulations, Dan!” Trump wrote.
On Friday’s episode of his show, titled The Golden Age of Republican Politics, Bongino celebrated Patel’s confirmation, stating, “We got Kash through, so now you are going to see what real change is like.”
Meanwhile, nearly at the same time as Trump’s post, the FBI Agents Association—a group representing thousands of current and former federal agents—sent a mass email welcoming Patel as the new director and outlining plans for future collaboration.
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