By Steve Neavling
Former Fox News personality and conservative commentator Dan Bongino has been appointed deputy director of the FBI, former President Donald Trump announced Sunday night.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump highlighted Bongino’s background as a former New York police officer and Secret Service agent. Bongino, a staunch Trump ally who has promoted baseless claims about the 2020 election, thanked the former president on social media.
Unlike the FBI director, the deputy position does not require Senate confirmation. Trump’s pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, was confirmed last week despite opposition from all Senate Democrats and two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Past FBI directors have typically received bipartisan support, and deputy directors have historically come from within the agency’s ranks.
Bongino, best known for his podcast The Dan Bongino Show, has frequently attacked the FBI’s past investigations into Trump. In a recent episode, he praised Patel’s confirmation and criticized Democrats who opposed it, calling the new director’s mission “cleaning this place up.”
His appointment is the latest in a series of unorthodox and contentious law enforcement picks by Trump. Earlier, the former president nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general, but Gaetz withdrew amid an ongoing House ethics investigation. Trump later nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was confirmed.
