Democrats Sound Off About Dan Bongino

Congressional Democrats on Monday bashed the Trump administration’s move to appoint conservative media personality Dan Bongino to the FBI’s No. 2 leadership role, arguing that he will be yet another senior government official whose loyalty lies primarily with the president.

FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday night selected Bongino, a radio host and former law enforcement officer, as the agency’s deputy chief. Bongino’s appointment came just days after Patel himself was confirmed by the Senate to lead the federal government’s foremost law enforcement organization.

Bongino, however, does not need to be confirmed by Congress — FBI directors are allowed to select their own deputies, reports Courthouse News Service.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump lauded Bongino as a “man of incredible love and passion for our Country.”

“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,” the president wrote.

But Democrats, who for months derided Patel as a partisan candidate for a politically impartial agency and warned against his confirmation, said Monday that Bongino’s appointment further cements their argument that the new FBI director and the Trump administration see federal law enforcement as a tool for punishing their political opponents.

Republicans, on the other hand, appeared pleased with the Patel-Bongino pairing at the FBI.

Bongino has long been a popular figure in the conservative media space as both a host and a political commentator. Since 2021 he has hosted a talk radio show which served as a replacement for the late Rush Limbaugh’s program. He has also appeared repeatedly on Fox News and hosts a daily podcast.

Before starting his media career, Bongino was a Secret Service agent and a New York police officer. In 2011, he ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat former Maryland Senator Ben Cardin.