As Trump hires Dan Bongino to drive FBI, will the office ever be the same?

At the beginning of September 2024, federal prosecutors had evidence of striking and unexpected controversy. The Department of Justice apparently discovered evidence of a media network supported by Russia financing and directing a scheme This sent millions of dollars to right -wing commentators and prominent podcast hosts.

As the scandal unfolded, the far-right podcaster Dan Bongino used its own program to expand some tips to its ideological brothers: those trapped in misery Bongino saidshould not cooperate with FBI.

Six months later, Donald Trump decided that it would be a good idea to put the personality of the far-right media in a key leadership position at the FBI. NBC News reported:

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced the selection of the Conservative commentator and former host Fox News, Dan Bongino, to hold the position of Deputy Director of the FBI, occupying a position habitually held by an FBI agent in his career, with an influential media personality, who requested mass redundancies at the office. Bongino will lead the office with Kash Patel, who has been confirmed as a Director of FBI by Senate last week.

The position of the Deputy Director is effectively responsible for carrying out the daily operations of the office because New York Times reportedIt is “a complex and creepy job, which needs to work closely with foreign partners and browse sensitive investigations.”

For generations, the administrative position went to senior agents with extended FBI. Conformable Reporting NBC NewsThis trend had to continue: Patel agreed privately – shortly before the president’s announcement – that the next deputy director of the FBI will be a special active agent with operational expertise and experience, as well as institutional knowledge and respect within the office .

In this background, Trump chose instead a podcaster without literally FBI experience for this job. The fact that Bongino worked as a secret service agent and NYPD officer is of interest, but it is not relevant.

Moreover, this is not a position confirmed by the Senate. The president wants an unskilled conservative media to help carry out the FBI operations, so that an unskilled conservative media personality will now help to work the FBI operations.

Even according to Trump standards, this is really bonkers.

In fact, it is really difficult to know where to start. We emphasize how hilarious recently focuses on Trump “Meritocracy“Is it in the light of decisions like these? We focus on Bongino Failed congressist campaignsmaking it an extension of The thesis underway?

What about the president’s concern for the officials of the officials with Fox News Experience? (According to tallies from New York Times and Media matterTrump has chosen now 20 Former Fox also hosts taxpayers – and count – to serve in his team.) Or maybe a few paragraphs about Trump who swears to “depolitize” the FBI while install who once said“My whole life right now is about holding the libils. That is. The libii, because they showed themselves … to be a purely unadulterated evil “?

While each of these angles are relevant, however, it is the bigger image: this is a step that a president takes when he wants to tear FBI and turn it into something new and twisted.

Trump hit An inexperienced and prolific conspiracy theorist To serve as director of the FBI, at which point he reached another inexperienced and prolific conspiracy theorist to serve as deputy Director of the FBI. Both men, of course, are also electoral negators.

That The report of the time mentioned above He added: “The combination of Mr. Patel and Mr. Bongino will represent the least experienced pair of leadership in the history of the office. It is also certain that it will cause concerns about how men, who have freely undone misinformation and embraced partisan policy, will lead an isolated agency from the interference of the White House. “

Reporting NBC News noted and That Bongino spent many hours specifically, removing “falsifications without foundation” about the office itself, leading the current and former FBI to feel “terrified – and extremely concerned about the national security of the country”.

I do not doubt that there will be an institution called the Federal Investigation Bureau, but with Patel and Bongino at the helm, it will not be FBI.

Before 51 Republicans in the Senate will vote to confirm on the patel last week, Democrat Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut said on the floor of the Chamber A political weapon that rewards loyalty and punishes dissemination, then Kash Patel is the perfect person to lead the FBI. “

Bongino makes the same problem much more serious.