What to know about Dan Bongino, new FBI deputy director
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Host Dan Bongino at Fox News Channel Studios in June 2019 in New York City. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Dan Bongino, newly appointed deputy FBI director, is a former Secret Service agent who's more recently gained prominence as a conservative podcaster with a background on Fox News.
Why it matters: Bongino is a staunch ally of President Trump, who has set out to overhaul the Justice Department in alignment with his agenda.
- "I've spent my life in public service, beginning with the NYPD and continuing through my time as a Secret Service agent, working under both Republican and Democrat administrations," he said in a statement.
- He's also spread conspiracy theories about the FBI's role in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and questioned the integrity of its investigations into the assassination attempts targeting Trump, Axios previously reported.
State of play: The deputy FBI director role doesn't require Senate confirmation and typically goes to a senior career agent. Kash Patel, one of Trump's most controversial mega-MAGA picks, was confirmed by the Senate 51-49 last week as director.
- The FBI deputy director is responsible for overseeing domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities, per the agency's website.
Conservative media pundit
Bongino is one of many Trump appointees and Cabinet members with previous ties to Fox.
- His podcast "Dan Bongino show" aims to debunk "both liberal and Republican establishment rhetoric," per the show's description. It's ranked by Spotify as the No. 56 podcast in the U.S.
- He hosted a Fox News show, "Unfiltered" but left the network in 2023 after they couldn't agree on a new contract.
- YouTube permanently banned Bongino in 2022 for violating the platform's COVID misinformation policy.
Secret Service career
Bongino joined the U.S. Secret Service's Presidential Protection Division in 2006 during former President George W. Bush's administration, after joining the agency in 1999.
- He stayed in the role during the transition to former President Obama's administration.
- In 2010, after the presidential appointments, he transferred to the Baltimore Field Office. He originally started at the Secret Service as a special agent in the New York Field Office investigating federal crimes.
He began his career working for the NYPD in 1995 as a police cadet and became a full-time police officer in 1997.
- He has master's degrees in psychology and business administration from the City University of New York and Penn State University, respectively.
Congressional races
Bongino has launched three unsuccessful bids for Congress in multiple states.
- He ran to represent Florida's 19th congressional district in 2016 but was defeated in the Republican primary.
- In 2014, he won the Republican primary to represent Maryland in the House but lost to the incumbent candidate in the general election.
- In 2012, he also lost to the incumbent in a bid to serve as a senator representing Maryland.
Family and personal life
Bongino was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2020. In an interview with Megyn Kelly last year, he said he had been in remission for two years.
- In 2023, he published a book called "The Gift of Failure" with personal stories.
He and his wife, Paula Bongino, have two daughters.
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