Dan Bongino, a former US Secret Service Agent and far-right podcaster has been chosen to serve as United States FBI deputy director.
US President Donald Trump announced the appointment on his Truth Social platform, praising Bongino is a "man of incredible law and passion for our country".
Bongino, who unsuccessfully ran for congress three times, will serve under Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist who was sworn in on Friday.
The move to place to staunch Trump allies atop the nation's premier federal law enforcement has drawn criticism by democrats and some republicans who have raised fears the president will use the FBI to target his adversaries.
Here's why the appointment is unusual.
Who is Dan Bongino?
Bongino hosts the The Dan Bongino Show, which is currently ranked 56th on the US Spotify podcast chart.
He was previously a Secret Service agent, serving on the presidential details for then-presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush, before becoming a popular right-wing figure.
He became one of the leading personalities in the Make America Great Again political movement to spread false information about the 2020 election, which Trump and allies have continued to claim was marred by widespread fraud.
Such claims have been widely rejected as false by judges and former Trump attorney general William Barr.
Bongino worked for the New York Police Department for several years in the 1990s before joining the Secret Service.
He began doing commentary on Fox News more than a decade ago, and had a Saturday night show with the network from 2021 to 2023.
Bongino ran for a US Senate seat in Maryland in 2012 and for congressional seats in 2014 and 2016 in Maryland and Florida, after moving in 2015. He lost the three races.
During an interview last year, Bongino asked Trump to commit to forming a commission to reform the Secret Service, calling it a "failed" agency and criticising it for the two assassination attempts last year.
"That guy should have been nowhere near you," Bongino said about the man who authorities say camped outside Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, before he was spotted with a rifle.
'Unusual' selection, former agent says
The deputy director serves as the FBI's second-in-command and is traditionally a career agent responsible for the bureau's day-to-day law enforcement operations.
The position does not require Senate confirmation.
But Bongino, like Patel, has never served in the FBI, raising questions about their experience level when the US is facing escalating national security threats.
Former FBI Special Agent and Cyber Security lecturer at the University of Sunshine Coast, Dennis Desmond said it would be expected that political appointees have some experience with the organisation they are going to lead.
"It is unusual because the president has identified a specific individual as deputy director which has not happened in a long time," he said.
"The FBI director may not necessarily have extensive experience with the FBI and he may not have the necessary skills to run the day to day operations so you would expect the person appointed as deputy to have extensive experience or at least was a special agent working in the organisation at some point."
Dr Desmond said the role of director and deputy director is not usually seen as a political position.
"That's one of the reasons the FBI director position spans 10 years, it crosses administration and is not designed to be politically focused on one party or another," he said.
"We see two individuals who have historically not only gone against a lot of the FBI's investigative work but have also trashed and demeaned the FBI and its agents and have chosen to disparage the work of the FBI.
"Granted, the FBI isn't perfect but they're run by people and I think the fear is that could be weaponised to exact revenge against Trump's enemies."
Bongino joins Kash Patel in top job
Bongino released an episode of his podcast on Monday titled "Cutesey Time is Over" where he emotionally spoke of his appointment.
"Folks … this is going to be a pretty wild ride," he said.
"Every single thing I have in me, every single strand of DNA cell in my body is going to be dedicated towards keeping this homeland safe, no matter what."
"We are going to re-establish faith in this institution."
"But this is the honour of a lifetime, and it's a serious mission."
Bongino will work under Trump's longtime ally, former advisor and Pentagon official Kash Patel who was confirmed as FBI director on Friday.
Identified as a staunch Trump loyalist, Mr Patel's outspoken views on the FBI have Democrats concerned.
He said some January 6 rioters were "political prisoners", proposing to shut down the FBI's Washington headquarters and turn it into a museum for the so-called deep state.
Democrats have criticised the appointment of Patel, claiming he lacks management experience and calling into question his judgement.
President of the FBI Agents Association Natalie Barra wrote in an internal newsletter to members before Bongino's selection was announced that Patel had agreed during a January meeting with her that the FBI deputy director "should continue to be an on-board, active Special Agent as has been the case for 117 years for many compelling reasons, including operational expertise and experience, as well as the trust of our Special Agent population."
The two are inheriting an FBI gripped by turmoil as the Justice Department over the past month has forced out a group of senior bureau officials and made a highly unusual demand for the names of thousands of agents who participated in investigations related to the 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
"Donald Trump has just named far-right MAGA podcaster Dan Bongino, a notorious conspiracy theorist who promoted the lie that the 2020 election was stolen, will serve as Deputy Director of the FBI," Republicans against Trump post on X.
"God help us all."
"Kash Patel should have been a redline [sic.]," Gregg Nunziata, a Republican and former general counsel to Marco Rubio wrote on X.
"Bongino is what you get when [Republican] senators fail to do their jobs and say no to Patel.
"The Trump admin is turning federal law enforcement over to unqualified, unprincipled, partisan henchmen. It's unacceptable and conservatives need to say so."
