President Donald Trump’s announcement of a conservative media figure as the FBI’s deputy director has some bureau veterans worried that the new second-in-command lacks the experience to help lead a key agency responsible for keeping Americans safe.
The selection of Dan Bongino also has fueled criticism from Democrats and some on the right about the direction Trump is taking the bureau. Bongino hasn’t worked at the FBI before. He was a police officer in New York City and spent 12 years with the Secret Service, leaving the agency 14 years ago and rising to fame as a conservative pundit. He hosts “The Dan Bongino Show,” a popular podcast and syndicated radio program.
Trump appointed Kash Patel, a close ally who has been deeply critical of the FBI, to lead the bureau, prompting Democrats to complain he is weakening the agency’s independence and could use it seek retribution against political enemies. Patel also has no FBI experience. The FBI Agents Association, a nonprofit organization representing current and retired agents, had urged him to appoint an experienced agent as his top deputy, a position that often handles much of the agency’s day-to-day operations.
The deputy director position has traditionally been filled internally from the ranks of the FBI, according to an FBI Agents Association internal newsletter obtained by USA TODAY. “The FBI 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,” the Agents Association told Patel, according to the newsletter.
The FBI has roughly 38,000 employees who work on federal criminal investigations, counterterrorism efforts and counterintelligence programs, among other key functions. John Pistole rose through the agency, holding multiple management positions, before becoming the deputy director in 2004 and serving in the role for nearly six years. He believes the job should have been filled by someone within the bureau, noting deputy directors typically have decades of agency experience.
Pistole wondered if there could be a “crisis of confidence” when the agency’s top leadership doesn’t have experience running the bureau and said it could create a challenge in an emergency.
