FBI names New York field chief Christopher Raia co-deputy director after Bongino exit
Christopher Raia, a two-decade FBI veteran who led the New York field office, was named co-deputy director, replacing Dan Bongino and serving alongside Andrew Bailey.
Overview
Christopher Raia, head of the FBI's New York field office and a former Coast Guard officer, has been appointed co-deputy director of the FBI.
Raia replaces Dan Bongino after Bongino's brief, tumultuous tenure; Bongino announced his departure last month and officially left the role earlier this week.
Raia will move from New York to Washington to begin his co-deputy director duties next week, serving alongside co-deputy Andrew Bailey.
A career agent since 2003, Raia has overseen counterterrorism, national security, violent crime, and gang investigations and led the New Orleans truck-attack response.
His appointment restores the bureau's tradition of a career agent serving as deputy after a politically appointed outsider's brief, contentious tenure that sparked internal friction.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this personnel story neutrally, using factual descriptors (career history, prior roles) rather than evaluative language. They note Bongino’s outsider background and Dennehy’s reported resistance as sourced facts, not editorial judgment. The coverage focuses on appointments and context, omitting partisan interpretation or persuasive framing.
Sources (6)
FAQ
Christopher Raia is a career FBI agent who joined the bureau in 2003 after serving as a Coast Guard officer, and he has led major investigations into violent crime, drugs, gangs, counterterrorism, and national security, including the response to the 2025 New Orleans New Year’s truck attack and leadership of the New York field office.
Dan Bongino announced last month that he was leaving the bureau after a brief and tumultuous tenure; while he did not give a specific reason, former President Donald Trump said Bongino wanted to return to his media show, and reports indicated internal friction over issues such as the handling of the Epstein files.
Raia is a conventional pick as a longtime FBI career agent with extensive investigative and leadership experience inside the bureau, while Bongino was an externally appointed conservative media figure and former Secret Service agent who had never previously worked for the FBI before being elevated to the deputy director position by the Trump administration.
Raia will share the bureau’s number-two responsibilities with Andrew Bailey, a former Missouri attorney general appointed co-deputy director in August 2025, meaning the deputy director duties are split between two senior officials rather than handled by a single deputy.
Raia’s elevation is viewed as a return to the FBI’s tradition of having a seasoned, career bureau official in the deputy role after Bongino’s unusual appointment as a politically aligned outsider, which had generated controversy and internal friction.
History
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