The FBI has confirmed it is returning to a more traditional leadership model at the top of the bureau, tapping a longtime career agent to serve as deputy director following the departure of Dan Bongino.
Christopher Raia, who currently leads the FBI’s New York Field Office, has been selected for the No. 2 role, according to the bureau. The move marks a sharp contrast from Bongino’s tenure, as Raia brings more than two decades of experience inside the FBI, while Bongino — a former police officer and conservative media figure — had never previously worked for the bureau.
Raia is a familiar figure within federal law enforcement circles and is widely viewed as a conventional pick for the powerful post. He has been serving as special agent in charge of the New York Field Office since April, after holding a senior counterterrorism position at FBI headquarters. His appointment signals a return to career leadership at a time of continued scrutiny and internal transition within the bureau.
During his tenure in New York, Raia helped oversee the FBI’s response to the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day last year, a major domestic terrorism case that drew national attention. His role in that response highlighted his background in counterterrorism and crisis management, two areas that remain central to the FBI’s mission.
Before rising to lead the New York office, Raia served as a top counterterrorism official at FBI headquarters, where he oversaw national security investigations and coordinated efforts to address threats to the homeland. Those responsibilities built on a career that has spanned violent crime, drug trafficking, and gang investigations, giving him broad exposure to both street-level crime and high-level national security operations.
Raia joined the FBI in 2003 after serving as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Over the course of his career, he has worked a wide range of cases and held leadership roles that placed him at the center of some of the bureau’s most sensitive operations. Supporters of the appointment say his background reflects the type of institutional experience traditionally associated with senior FBI leadership.
In his new role, Raia will not serve alone at the top. He will be a co–deputy director, working alongside Andrew Bailey, the former Missouri attorney general. The dual structure reflects the bureau’s current leadership arrangement and brings together a career law enforcement official and a former state-level prosecutor.
The change comes as Bongino officially steps away from the FBI role and returns to media. On Monday, Bongino announced he will revive his podcast and video program on the streaming platform Rumble, with a two-hour show set to debut on Feb. 2. Bongino’s tenure as deputy director was notable not only because of his outspoken conservative profile, but also because of his status as an outsider to the FBI’s traditional ranks.
Raia’s appointment is likely to be welcomed by those who favor experienced, internal leadership at the bureau, while Bongino’s return to media ensures his voice will remain part of the broader national debate over law enforcement, government accountability, and federal power.
As the FBI continues navigating leadership changes and public scrutiny, the elevation of a seasoned agent like Raia underscores a shift back toward conventional management, even as former leaders like Bongino reenter the public arena from outside government.
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