President Trump said Sunday night that former New York City police officer and Secret Service agents will become the next deputy director to become right-wing critics and podcasters.
Trump announced on a social media site that newly established FBI director Kash Patel has appointed Bongino as the second post of the country's most powerful law enforcement agency. The role of the Deputy Director does not require confirmation from the Senate. This means that the loyalty of the two unshakable Trump will be effectively set up in the top reach of an institution known for its independence tradition.
The announcement said that the FBI Agents Association has personally confirmed to members that Patel personally recognizes that the next deputy director should be an FBI agent and will strengthen distrust among rank and file. It was announced about an hour after he spoke.
The FBI did not respond to requests for comment.
In the past, FBI directors have selected senior agents with extensive experience in essentially running the department's business. This is a complex and rigorous job that requires working closely with foreign partners and navigating delicate investigations.
Mr. Bongino's choice was a radical and sudden departure from that practice, with two people who had never served as FBI agents before overseeing the vast surveillance and investigative capabilities of the 38,000 institution, and about It raises surprising questions about how to oversee a $11 budget. Billion.
The combination of Patel and Bongino represents the least experienced leadership pair in the station's history, usually isolated from White House interference. It also ensures that the bureau is free to sell misinformation and run by men who embraced partisan politics.
“My life right now is to own LIBS,” Bongino said in 2018. He also reflects popular complaints among the far right who denounces the so-called deep state.
Bongino's ascension comes at a time of massive upheaval for the agency as the Justice Department pushes out senior executives with decades of experience running various departments of the Directorate.
It is unclear what will happen to interim leaders Brian Driscoll and Robert C. Kissan. Their initial denial of the Department of Justice's request for the name of the Bureau officials who investigated the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was happy to prefer them internally from the perspective of many people in the Bureau. to what was perceived as political interference that made them prefer to stand up.
Many wanted to stay in Washington to help Patel run the FBI.
In an internal newsletter distributed to agents before Trump's announcement, Natalie Bala, the association's director, said at a meeting with Patel in January, she and the group's vice president, Jen Moreau. , said he urged him to li. Active special agents on board, like 117 years for many persuasive reasons. ”
Patel agreed, she said.
Patel said it remains unclear whether Trump wanted Bongino to choose, but he wanted Bongino, a person familiar with the matter, as his aide.
Bongino ran three times to elected offices before gaining popularity as a right-wing commentator.
Former Fox News host Bongino left the network in 2023. In particular, he hosted Trump on the show in 2021. Trump era.
In Fox News in December 2021, Geraldribera called the January 6th event “unleashed, incited and inspired” Trump riots, and Bongino questioned his loyalty. did. “I'm really tired of the backstab of the president you're working on,” he said.
His tough-talking style has driven him to stardom on radio and social media. This includes false spread that the 2020 election was stolen, and spies on Trump's 2016 campaign, falsely claiming that masks are ineffective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. It involves perpetuating mazes and unfounded conspiracy theory, including democratic conspiracies.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Pete Hegses, the host of Fox's news and now Secretary of Defense, equated Mr. Bongino with the general who got to “serve the information war.”
The news elicited questions about how the station would maintain credibility with two men who have a history of spreading exaggerated and misleading information.
In an email to the FBI after the FBI was confirmed, Patel said, “I always have your back because I have an American back.”
Maggie Harberman Reports of contributions.
