For more than 100 years, the role of FBI deputy director has been filled by a career agent with previous bureau experience and an insider's understanding of day-to-day operations of federal law enforcement. As the FBI's own website puts it, the deputy director "oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities."
In a break with tradition, the Trump administration instead tapped Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent turned pro-Trump influencer.
For the last several years Bongino has ranted against the FBI on his podcast, saying it should be "disbanded immediately" and calling agents "thugs." Bongino will now help run federal law enforcement as the number two official at the FBI, behind Director Kash Patel.
Patel himself has expressed a number of conspiratorial and hard-right views and is the first FBI director to win confirmation with the support of only one political party.
Given Bongino's role as a right-wing political commentator, his podcast monologues provide a unique blueprint to understanding how he might approach his role as one of the top law enforcement officials in the country, with vast powers to initiate and guide criminal investigations. To analyze Bongino's views, NPR reviewed more than a thousand videos posted by "The Dan Bongino Show."
On his show, Bongino embraced conspiracy theories about supposed complicity of the FBI in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack; called for investigating and imprisoning former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden; and discussed his own belief in the "spirit realm" and his view that some Democrats were infected with "demon energy."
The FBI declined to comment.
Bongino called FBI agents "thugs," recommended the elimination of the bureau
Bongino, like Trump, has embraced the narrative that the FBI was "weaponized" against conservatives. His views intensified after the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 for classified documents that were allegedly improperly withheld.
"The FBI is a fully now corrupt organization," Bongino told his audience in September 2022. "This agency serves no good purpose anymore. The agency needs to be disbanded."
Bongino called former FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Trump appointed in 2017, a "jack-booted thug" and "totalitarian despot." But he did not limit his criticism to just FBI leadership.
Bongino has repeatedly called for the FBI to be eliminated, its agents to be "screened" for loyalty and political bias, and mass firings.
“The only thing that is going to stop the FBI from doing what they're doing now, which is become full-time activists and bouncers, in many cases, thugs for the Democrat party, is imposing real material losses on them. Fire everyone involved in this stuff. Everyone - no excuses. Disband the entity. It is the only way at this point.” The Dan Bongino Show, Sept. 26, 2022
Bongino has also suggested that FBI employees could "be criminally and civilly responsible for," in his view, "crushing" Americans' civil liberties.
Bongino told his audience in another episode that the FBI had turned the United States into a "police state," which he compared to dictatorial regimes around the world. He also warned that Americans could eventually face mass "systemic violence" from the government.
“Our police state is real. It's — our police state is right now no different from things you're seeing in Cuba, North Korea. Now, I don’t like hyperbole. We haven’t gotten to the mass systemic violence by the police state. We have had some incidents. But we haven’t gotten to the systemic violence portion. But folks, sadly, I don’t know where this is gonna end.” The Dan Bongino Show, Dec. 20, 2022
Bongino also told his audience that they should not cooperate with law enforcement if they are conservative.
“Folks, I'm sorry that we're at the point where I have to tell you not to talk to the FBI if you are a Republican. I really am sorry. I'm regretful. I wish it wasn't this way, but it is. I'm dealing with the world as it is, not as it should be. Do not open your mouth. There is no reason if they do not have a warrant. Just talk on your Ring doorbell. Whatever you have. ‘Who is it? FBI, you got a warrant? Have a nice day.’ I can’t believe I’m saying this. I was an investigator myself.” The Dan Bongino Show, Sept. 26, 2022
Conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 attack
Bongino has argued that Democrats "stole" the 2020 election, citing multiple conspiracy theories over the years. He promoted the widely discredited film 2,000 Mules, which alleged a wide-ranging scheme to stuff ballot boxes. Law enforcement officials in multiple states said that the film's claims were bogus, and both the filmmaker, Dinesh D'Souza, and the film's producer, Salem Media, have issued apologies and acknowledged inaccuracies.
Bongino also repeatedly suggested that the election technology company Dominion Voting Systems may have committed wrongdoing in the 2020 election, citing the pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell as a reliable source.
“We also know that this Dominion Voting Systems has a problem, that those problems have shown up in court cases, risks of malware being introduced. And Sidney Powell says something interesting, ‘malware, wow, that's really fascinating.’ She talks about algorithms and how votes have been flipped. Were they? I don't know. Have I seen that evidence directly? I have not. But I respect Sidney Powell and I assume Sidney Powell isn't saying that because she's just making it up.” The Dan Bongino Show, Nov. 13, 2020
In Jan. 2021, Dominion Voting Systems sued Powell, among others, for defamation, alleging that she made "wild" and "demonstrably false" claims about the company. Powell has denied the allegations and the case remains ongoing. (Fox News, which itself aired false claims about Dominion, paid the company more than $787 million as part of a legal settlement.) Separately, in 2023, Powell pleaded guilty in Georgia to six misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties connected to her conduct around the 2020 election. She was sentenced to six years' probation.
Bongino has also accused the FBI itself of involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and particularly the placement of pipe bombs outside of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters. The bombs never detonated. The Department of Justice has said the pipe bomber case remains unsolved and there is a $500,000 reward for information leading to the perpetrator's arrest and conviction.
According to Bongino, it was an "inside job" and the FBI should look at the government itself to find the bomber.
“Folks, I'm telling you what happened. There is a massive cover-up, because the person who planted those pipe bombs — they don't want you to know who it was, because it's either a connected anti-Trump insider or this was an inside job. Those bombs were planted there. This was a setup. I have zero doubt.” The Dan Bongino Show, Nov. 14, 2024
In Bongino's telling, the pipe bombs were part of a broader government conspiracy on Jan. 6 to steal the 2020 election.
“The government right now has one goal: to keep Trump out of office. And their goal on January 6th of 2021, their goal was clear. Their goal was to shut down anyone on the Republican side from questioning the vote during that certification process. That is absolutely crystal clear now. And they were going to do it by any means necessary, a fake bomb plot, whatever it was, it didn't matter.” The Dan Bongino Show, Feb. 2, 2024
"The left is evil"
Throughout his media career, Bongino has portrayed himself as a fierce partisan warrior.
"My entire life right now is about owning the libs," Bongino said in 2018. "That's it."
Going beyond political disagreement with Democrats and the political left, Bongino has said, "the left is evil" and actively "destroying the country."
“Democrats are involved in a cold civil war with the United States of America right now. They want this country destroyed.” The Dan Bongino Show, Sept. 15, 2021
“The left is a clear and present danger to your public safety and your economic security.” The Dan Bongino Show, July 22, 2022
“The left is evil. I need you to understand that there's a difference here. It's not just that they're wrong on politics. They are evil.” The Dan Bongino Show, Sept. 21, 2023
At times, Bongino, who identifies as Christian, has discussed his belief in the spiritual realm and demons. On multiple episodes, he has described what he believes was a supernatural encounter on the night his mother died. Bongino said he was alone in his house and "someone grabbed me."
"I never really thought that spiritual world intersected with our material world here," Bongino said. "That all changed that night."
Democrats, he has said, are among those infected with "demon energy."
“Demon energy is real. Demons aren't these horn-looking people with spike tails. That's just in the movie. Demons are real. They're possessed by some energy and they're here on earth now. I want you to see what one of them looks like: [U.S. Rep.] Pramila Jayapal, who is one of the heads of the liberal portion of the Democrat caucus. She's a congresswoman and a lunatic, by the way.” The Dan Bongino Show, Dec. 4, 2023
Bongino has said that conservatives and MAGA need to fight back against the political left by imposing what he calls "real material losses."
“The only way to defeat them is to impose real material losses: power, money, freedom if they broke the law. That's the only way.” The Dan Bongino Show, Aug. 31, 2022
Support for investigating and imprisoning Democrats and other Trump targets
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump made more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute and otherwise punish his perceived enemies. Bongino has made similar statements on the air for the last several years. As deputy director of the FBI, he could exercise significant influence over federal criminal investigations.
Investigations and imprisonment are among the "material losses" Bongino has said he supports imposing on Trump's political opponents.
“Folks, forget impeachment. Joe Biden should be in prison. And, believe me, as a former federal agent, I take that very seriously. Joe Biden belongs in handcuffs. This guy should be investigated for possible treason.” The Dan Bongino Show, Aug. 1, 2023
Before Trump won reelection, Bongino said Republican state attorneys general should initiate investigations into Biden and his family.
“It is time for state attorneys general to go out and do exactly what's been done to Trump. ‘But Dan, then we'll just be perpetuating this cycle of political retribution.’ Well, maybe when the Democrats feel what political retribution looks like using the law, then maybe they'll stop using the law for political retribution. Has anybody thought of that? State attorneys general, it is time for you to now go out and start pressing charges against members of the Biden family. [If] the Biden family committed a crime in your red state, which it appears many have, it's time for them to get locked up in your state. Sorry. Sorry.” The Dan Bongino Show, May 10, 2023
On other episodes of his show, Bongino said that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "is a freaking criminal," that former President Barack Obama "should be locked up," and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff "should be in prison."
Bongino, echoing Trump, has also called for charges of treason against the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley. Trump has suggested that Milley could face the death penalty, because he called officials in China to try and defuse international tensions in the chaotic aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack.
“The left is a clear and present danger to the United States of America, freedom and liberty, and Mark Milley has joined them. Mark Milley is more concerned with ‘white rage’ than he is with winning wars. The man should be tried immediately. Institutions are collapsing everywhere. Liberals were involved in a coup. If he did this, he should be tried for treason. This was a coup — a military leader destroying the chain of command to notify an enemy is a very definition of a military coup, the usurpation of powers he did not have.” The Dan Bongino Show, Sept. 15, 2021
Biden issued a preemptive pardon for Milley and Schiff, among others, on his final day in office.
In addition to Democrats, Bongino has also voiced support for prosecuting people in the Black Lives Matter movement and Antifa using racketeering and terrorism charges.
And he has agreed with Trump's calls to investigate former special counsel Jack Smith.
Smith led the two federal prosecutions of Trump for allegedly trying to corruptly overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice. Those cases were formally dismissed after Trump won the 2024 election.
"I have no problem with Donald Trump investigating Jack Smith either. And you shouldn't either. Jack Smith doesn't have a pardon," Bongino said on his show on Jan. 23.
Already, there are signs that the Trump Administration is pursuing some of the president's perceived enemies and rivals. The interim U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., Ed Martin, has indicated that he is opening an investigation to a law firm, Covington & Burling, that provided pro bono legal services to Smith.
"Save your receipts, Smith and Covington. We'll be in touch soon. #NoOneIsAboveTheLaw," Martin posted on the social media site X.
Martin has also initiated inquiries into Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, and Robert Garcia, a Democratic Congressman from California, over political comments that Martin considered threatening.
"We have a constitutional right to criticize the administration and the actions of Elon Musk," Garcia posted on X in response to Martin's letter announcing an inquiry. "Trump's Department of Justice should not work to silence Members of Congress. We will not back down."
The federal courts could provide a check on potentially retaliatory uses of the federal government's powers to investigate and prosecute people.
Shortly before he joined the administration, Bongino said on his show that Trump should ignore court orders that temporarily blocked cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency.
"My recommendation is Donald Trump should ignore this," Bongino said. "This judge is obviously not acting constitutionally at all, it should be ignored."
One conflict with Trump? Opposition to the death penalty
While Bongino is in lockstep with Trump on virtually every major issue, they do have one major policy disagreement when it comes to criminal law: Bongino opposes the death penalty.
On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order stating that "Capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens." The order calls for the Department of Justice, which includes the FBI, to seek the death penalty in cases of the "murder of a law-enforcement officer" or "a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country."
On his show, Bongino has acknowledged that his opposition to the death penalty puts him at odds with Trump.
“I am pro life, avidly pro life — conception to natural death, because that's the continuum of life. Folks, I don't even support the death penalty. Some of you don't like that. Again, I'm never going to lie to you. We don't have to agree on everything. I don't have to agree on everything with Donald Trump.” The Dan Bongino Show, Sept. 18, 2023
