President Donald Trump has appointed Dan Bongino, a right-wing podcaster and vocal supporter of his re-election who has promoted conspiracy theories linked to Trump, as deputy FBI director.
Trump shared the news in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, praising Bongino for his past accomplishments and what he hopes he’ll bring to the federal law enforcement agency along with confirmed FBI director Kash Patel.
Trump praises Bongino on social media regarding his new role
“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,” Trump said. “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.
According to NPR, Democrats are concerned that Trump could use his FBI appointments to target his political opponents. However, Patel stated his priority is restructuring the bureau by relocating thousands of employees from its Washington, D.C., headquarters to address other key issues.
Who is Dan Bongino?
The deputy director serves as the FBI’s second-in-command and usually has years of experience with the agency’s day-to-day law enforcement operations. Both Bongino and Patel have no prior FBI experience.
However, Bongino, 49, has several years of law enforcement experience and served on the presidential details for then-Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
He also worked for the New York Police Department from 1997 through 1999 before joining the Secret Service, NPR reported. Years later, Bongino became a popular conservative figure in media, commentating on television shows and his podcast, The Dan Bongino Show.
Bongino says the FBI should be free of DEI and “woke culture”
He also ran three unsuccessful bids for political office but later helped contribute to Trump’s second term in the White House. In a recent episode of his show, he shared his expectations of how the FBI will be.
“How amazing would it be in four years to look back with a good, high-quality, reformed FBI free of woke culture and DEI that goes out making headline, big arrests of real bad guys destroying your community. How good would that be?” Bongino said, according to the BBC.
