New FBI deputy director chosen after Bongino’s departure

The head of the FBI office in New York, Christopher G. Raia, is expected to become deputy director of the bureau, taking over the No. 2 position previously held by Dan Bongino.

The selection of Raia, on the heels of Bongino’s departure after less than a year in the job, was a further indication of the turmoil in the bureau’s upper ranks, and continues an unusual leadership structure put in place in August. But it also marks a return to tradition in having a career agent running the FBI on a day-to-day basis.

Raia is expected to start as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that had not been made public.

The FBI confirmed the move, declining to comment further.

Bongino, a Trump loyalist, departed the FBI this month after joining the bureau last March, where he quickly became known for his voluble presence on social media. He appears poised to return to his career as a right-wing podcaster.

The job of deputy director has been to act as a kind of chief operating officer for more than 30,000 employees. But over the summer, the Trump administration brought on a second deputy director, choosing Andrew Bailey, who had been Missouri’s attorney general.

Trump once briefly considered nominating Bailey to be the attorney general, and during the transition discussed selecting him to be FBI director. But the president, who likes aggressive personalities, found him too laid back and somewhat lackluster, according to people briefed on the meetings at the time.

At the time, it was unclear whether Bailey’s arrival signaled Bongino’s imminent departure. It is equally unclear what Raia’s arrival means for Bailey’s future at the bureau.

Raia was a Coast Guard officer before he joined the FBI. As an agent, he spent much of his career in Texas, rising through the ranks from investigating violent crime to managing counterterrorism work.

Raia took over the New York office, the agency’s largest, in March after serving for a year as a deputy assistant director in Washington. Before that, he spent a year as chief of staff to another top official at the bureau.

It was not immediately clear who would take over the FBI office in New York. Raia stepped in after his predecessor, James Dennehy, was fired by FBI Director Kash Patel.