(CNN) — FBI Director Kash Patel has named Christopher Raia, a seasoned career agent, to replace Dan Bongino as deputy director, according to people briefed on the matter.
Raia is a respected agent with 22 years’ experience, and his appointment restores the decades-long tradition of having a career agent serve in the role. He will serve alongside co-deputy director Andrew Bailey, a political appointee installed in that role in September by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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The deputy FBI director role is responsible for day-to-day management of the FBI, which is why Patel wanted an insider to handle the job. His plans for career deputy upon taking office last year were dashed when the White House chose Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and prominent pro-Trump podcaster to take the job.
Struggles emerged quickly and within months Bongino was publicly letting it be known he hated the job. He complained in interviews that the long hours and time away from family were difficult. Bongino’s mercurial management style and his social media sparring with critics added to tensions inside the bureau.
The FBI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Raia most recently served as assistant director of the New York field office, one of the bureau’s most coveted roles, taking on the role in April following a tumultuous purge of senior leadership of the FBI in the opening months of President Donald Trump’s second term. ABC News earlier reported Raia’s appointment.
The Raia appointment will likely be welcome news to agents and employees who have dealt with the turmoil of the past year.
In early 2025 near the end of the Biden administration, after a terrorist attack in New Orleans and missteps in the early handling of the investigation, Raia was dispatched to take over management of the probe and present a steady public response.
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