Bongino’s appointment is evidence of a chilling reversal at the highest echelons of law enforcement in the United States.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday night that Kash Patel had tapped Dan Bongino to be second-in-command at the FBI, after the Senate confirmed Patel as the bureau’s new director last week.

WASHINGTON—Late Sunday, a group representing thousands of FBI agents told its members it was optimistic about the agency’s future, in part because its new director, Kash Patel, had assured the group he would choose a deputy from among their ranks.

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Dan Bongino, a conservative talk show host, will be the next deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent turned right-wing podcaster, has been named the next deputy director of the FBI, President Donald Trump announced Sunday, the latest outsider media personality the president has chosen to be in a significant position of power overseeing large branches of complex government organizations.

Bongino is a former Secret Service agent turned podcaster. Trump said he will serve as the FBI’s deputy director, a role traditionally held by career agents.

Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who has penned best-selling books, ran unsuccessfully for office and gained fame as a conservative pundit with TV shows and a popular podcast.

The selection of former Secret Service agent and right-wing media commentator Dan Bongino as deputy to FBI Director Kash Patel places two staunch Trump allies atop the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency.

The appointment of Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer turned conservative radio host, puts a second Trump ally at the top of the agency.

President Donald Trump announced the 50-year-old had been chosen to serve under the new FBI Director, Kash Patel, making Bongino the latest in a string of outsiders who have been appointed to be part of Trump’s inner circle.