A group that represents FBI agents is claiming the agency’s newly installed director, Kash Patel, agreed with him that his number two should be an FBI veteran – just before President Trump announced he was tapping Dan Bongino, the podcaster and conservative commentator who’s never served in the FBI, for the position. 

The head of the FBI Agents Association, Natalie Bara, wrote in a letter to the FBI community on Sunday that Mr. Patel — who also never served in the FBI — agreed with her that whoever would be named as the deputy director should be someone who is a special agent.

Shortly after her letter, Mr. Trump made a surprise announcement that Mr. Bongino was being named to the position, a break with the tradition of appointing career officials to the role and sparking an outcry from Democrats and the left-wing press. 

In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump wrote, “Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice! Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI.”

“He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York’s Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve,” the post said.

Mr. Patel had previously signaled to his allies that he planned to keep the acting deputy director, Robert Kissane, in the position, according to CNN. However, his thinking appeared to change after Mr. Kissane and the then-acting FBI director, Brian Driscoll, refused to release the names of agents involved in investigations of Mr. Trump and January 6.

Senator Schiff, who is one of Mr. Trump’s most fervent opponents, posted on X, “Selecting another right-wing Fox personality and internet troll — Dan Bongino — as Deputy FBI Director means two things: Trump installs another loyalist who won’t say no to any immoral or unethical act. And our law enforcement agencies — and the public safety — are further degraded.”

Some groups, such as Republicans Against Trump, called Mr. Bongino a “far-right MAGA podcaster.” Meanwhile, a Washington Post media reporter, Jeremy Barr, highlighted his combative relationship with the left-wing press.

Mr. Barr wrote on X, “I always appreciated that FBI deputy director Dan Bongino replied to my emails, even if it was this.” He shared a screenshot of an email from the conservative commentator that read, “Are you a dipshit all the time, or just on weekdays? Do you even listen to my show where I explained what’s going on? Or is your oddly shaped head so far up your ass that you can’t hear?” 

“Given that you’re a chump, and a coward, who has never stood for a single thing in your entire sorry life, I’m not surprised you left out all the relevant details of the story,” the email said. 

While Democrats howled over the decision, supporters of Mr. Trump heartily cheered it and expressed hope he would be able to “expose” the “deep state” at the FBI. 

Mr. Bongino does not have experience at the FBI, however, he does have a law enforcement background. He worked for the New York Police Department in the 1990s. He also worked in the Secret Service in the Presidential Protective Division under President George W. Bush and President Obama.  A writer for the New Yorker, Evan Osnos, wrote in 2022 that Mr. Bongino was known as a competent agent during his time at the Secret Service. 

After his law enforcement career, he started providing conservative commentary on Fox News and saw his prominence grow as he became a contributor to the network in 2019 and had his own Saturday night show from 2021 to 2023.  

He also launched a news aggregation website, the Bongino Report, in 2019, and has published more than half a dozen books. 

His time at Fox came to an abrupt end when he announced in April 2023 that the two parties “couldn’t come to terms on an extension” of his contract. While he is no longer a host at Fox, Mr. Bongino has kept busy, hosting a daily radio show and a podcast, which has become one of the most popular podcasts in America, according to data from Spotify. 

The streaming service lists his podcast as the 56th most popular podcast of all shows in America, above conservative commentator Ben Shapiro. In the “News” category, Mr. Bongino’s podcast ranks as the 12th most popular show. 

In August 2024, the network that distributes his podcast, Cumulus Media, said his show had more than 16 million downloads in July, and more than 200 million downloads up to that point in the year. 

Mr. Bongino has been highly critical of the FBI and has argued that it should be disbanded “as it is currently constituted” as he argued it has been too politicized and is a “deep state, left-wing FBI.” He also called for “everyone” involved in the search of Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to be fired. 

Mr. Bongino has a relationship with Mr. Trump. Late in the 2024 campaign, Mr. Trump appeared on Mr. Bongino’s podcast and, notably, denounced as “evil” Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over the election interference case brought against him by Jack Smith. 

While some commentators fretted about Mr. Bongino’s fiery persona and political views, conservatives argued it sends a good signal that someone with such a large audience would be willing to give that up to work in government.

Ben Shapiro wrote on X, “Congrats to [Bongino] on his appointment — and what a move of patriotism by Dan, giving up an incredibly successful show to go serve the country!”

Mr. Bongino addressed his appointment in emotional remarks at the beginning of his show Monday morning as he said he would “proudly” accept the position. 

“Folks, it’s a lot to walk away from,” he said of the decision to leave his shows. 
In a post on X, he thanked Mr. Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and Mr. Patel.