Dan Bongino’s Appointment Signals Kash Patel’s Vision for the FBI

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Dan Bongino, a vocal podcast host and former Secret Service agent, has been appointed as the FBI’s deputy director, marking a striking departure from tradition. Bongino, who has never worked at the bureau, has long criticized it, frequently calling it "irredeemably corrupt." His selection signals the direction Kash Patel, a staunch Trump ally, envisions for the agency.  

 

Following the announcement, Patel took to X to celebrate the appointment, writing, “I am proud to welcome Dan Bongino as the next Deputy Director of the FBI — a warrior and lifelong public servant. With Pam Bondi as our new Attorney General, we are assembling a team focused on restoring public trust, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring justice is served.” Bongino himself has been a controversial figure in conservative media.

 

A former New York police officer, he left the Secret Service over a decade ago, citing dysfunction within the agency. Since then, he has become a high-profile commentator, running unsuccessfully for political office multiple times and launching a widely popular pro-Trump podcast in 2015.  

 

Through his platform, Bongino has been a relentless critic of the FBI. He has frequently alleged, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and has suggested the bureau deliberately failed to identify the suspect behind the January 2021 pipe bomb placements outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters. “You think there are legitimate people with character running the FBI? Huh? That’s hilarious,” Bongino declared on his podcast in August 2022. “The FBI is entirely corrupted at the management level, and it’s filtering down now even into some at the in the rank and file.”  

 

His new role gives him significant influence in an agency he has spent years attacking. Traditionally, the deputy director position has been reserved for career FBI officials with extensive experience within the bureau. Bongino’s appointment breaks that precedent, raising questions about the direction the agency will take under Patel’s leadership.  

 

Ray Batvinis, a retired FBI counterintelligence officer and historian, noted the unprecedented nature of the decision. “The bureau has never had someone from the outside come in as a deputy director. Never,” he said. “I believe [Bongino] has a steep — possibly insurmountable — learning curve.”  

 

The FBI has not commented on Bongino’s hiring, but his selection strongly signals the kind of leadership Patel intends to implement—one that aligns with Trump’s vision of overhauling the agency from within.

 

Based on a report by WP  2025-02-24