President Donald Trump has announced that Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent and conservative media personality, has been picked by FBI Director Kash Patel to serve as the next deputy director of the agency.
President Trump made the announcement Sunday night, describing Bongino as "a man of incredible love and passion for our Country."
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"A highly respected Special Agent with the United State 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," President Donald Trump said of Bongino in a statement. "Working with our great new United States Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Director Patel, Fairness, Justice, Law and Order will be brought back to America, and quickly."
Bongino, 50, previously served on the presidential details for former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, before transitioning into the conservative media space, where he launched "The Dan Bongino Show." The show is ranked 56th on Spotify's list of top podcasts in the U.S. and garners millions of viewers.
Bongino also campaigned for an open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland in 2012 and an open congressional seat in 2014— two races in which he lost. After relocating to Florida, he ran another failed campaign to represent the state's 19th Congressional District.
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Bongino now joins Patel — another Trump loyalist — in leading the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency tasked with investigating foreign and domestic crimes related to national security, counterterrorism, organized crime, and more.
"My career has always been about service," Bongino said in a statement after accepting his new role. "I'm here to work. I'm here to lead. And I'm here to ensure that America's law enforcement institutions uphold the value and integrity they were built upon."
