‘Unqualified henchmen’: fears rise as Trump names far-right podcaster as FBI deputy director

Fears over the future direction of the FBI have intensified after Donald Trump announced that a far-right podcaster, Dan Bongino, who has never served in the bureau, would become its next deputy director.

Bongino, a former New York police officer and Secret Service agent who provided security to Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama, is best known as a conservative commentator who has vocally supported Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

His appointment as deputy to the newly confirmed director, Kash Patel, marks the first time in the bureau’s 117-year history that the second-in-command post has not been held by one of its senior agents.

It further increased fears – already high following Patel’s confirmation as director – that the administration would attempt to use the bureau to pursue its political enemies.

“Donald Trump just named far-right MAGA podcaster Dan Bongino, a notorious conspiracy theorist who promoted the lie that the 2020 election was ‘stolen,’ to serve as Deputy Director of the FBI. God help us all,” posted the X account Republicans Against Trump.

Gregg Nunziata, a Republican and former general counsel to Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, warned that Bonging was a more extreme appointment than Patel – who has portrayed the bureau as an arm of a so-called “deep state” dedicated to undermining Trump and has vowed to turn its Washington headquarters into a museum.

“Kash Patel should have been a redline. Bongino is what you get when [Republican] Senators fail to do their jobs and say no to Patel,” Nunziata wrote.

“The Trump Admin is turning federal law enforcement over to unqualified, unprincipled, partisan henchmen. It’s unacceptable and conservatives need to say so.”

Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, wrote: “Trump has chosen grifters to lead the FBI. Dan Bongino’s entire show is telling listeners the world is ending so they buy the dozens of survivalist products he sells. I know this feels like a bad dream. It isn’t.”

Trump announced Bongino’s appointment in a post on his Truth Social network late on Sunday night, calling it “great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice!”

The president praised Bongino – who has run unsuccessfully three times as a Republican in congressional races in Maryland and Florida – as “a man of incredible love and passion for our country” and said he was giving up his position as “one of the most successful podcasters in the country” to serve.

However, Bongino’s qualifications have been called into question since the deputy director is traditionally in charge of the bureau’s day-to-day enforcement operations.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents many of the bureau’s agents, had earlier written to its members claiming it had won Patel’s agreement that his deputy director “should continue to be an on-board, active Special Agent as has been the case for 117 years for many compelling reasons, including operational expertise and experience, as well as the trust of our Special Agent population”.

Bongino, a former Fox News Host, has – like his boss, Patel – has written books alleging the existence of a “deep state” conspiracy against Trump. In 2018, he said: “My entire life right now is about owning the libs.

His appointment was greeted with glee by Trump supporters.

“This is incredible news!! Thank you @dbongino for the sacrifice. I know this is in service to our country. America just got a huge upgrade,” posted Charlie Kirk, the rightwing provocateur and founder of Turning Point USA.

Bongino’s installation raises uncertainty about the fate of the two senior bureau agents Brian Driscoll and Robert Kissane, who filled the positions of acting director and acting deputy while Patel awaited confirmation.

The pair refused to comply with an administration demand that they provided the names of thousands of agents who had worked on the investigation into the 6 January 2021 insurrection that saw a violent mob of Trump supporters attack the US Capitol in a failed bid to overturn the 2020 election.