FBI veteran Christopher Raia has been named co-deputy director of the federal law enforcement agency, the bureau confirmed Friday to Fox News Digital.
Raia, who runs the bureau’s New York City field office, will move to Washington, D.C., and begin his job on Monday serving as co-deputy director with Andrew Bailey.
Raia’s elevation comes after Dan Bongino announced he was leaving the position and returning to ‘civilian life.’ His last day on the job was Jan. 3.
Bongino was a conservative commentator and podcaster before President Donald Trump nominated him for the position.
‘It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump,’ Bongino wrote on X Saturday. ‘It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director [Kash] Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side.’
Bongino made the announcement he was leaving last month, thanking Trump, Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ‘for the opportunity to serve with purpose.’
Bongino and Bondi had previously clashed over the release of the Epstein files, and a source told Fox News over the summer he had considered resigning over the Justice Department’s handling of the situation.
Bongino didn’t give a reason for his resignation less than a year after he started as deputy director, but Trump said last month the 51-year-old ‘wants to go back to his show.’