Christopher Raia, the head of the FBI’s New York field office, will replace Dan Bongino as deputy director of the bureau, an FBI spokesperson said Friday.
Raia, a career agent, was asked to take the FBI’s No. 2 position and he accepted, the bureau spokesperson said.
Raia will report to Washington, DC, on Monday to start the new job.
As deputy director, Raia will assist FBI Director Kash Patel and Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey manage the bureau’s more than 30,000 employees.
Raia’s hiring means the unusual three-person leadership structure at the FBI – implemented when Bailey was hired in August amid reports of infighting at the bureau surrounding the handling of an investigation into pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – will remain in place.
The new deputy director has been with the bureau since 2003 and served as the FBI’s top counterterrorism official before leading the New York Field Office.
It’s unclear who will replace Raia in New York.
Raia’s predecessor at the New York field office, James Dennehy, was forced to retire in March as part of sweeping changes to the bureau made by the Trump administration.
Bongino announced in December that he would leave his position at the FBI in January, after less than a year on the job.
“I want to thank President Trump, AG [Pam] Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose,” he wrote in an X post announcing his decision. “Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you.”
After Bongino’s announcement, President Trump told reporters, “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.”
