The head of the FBI's New York Field Office, Christopher Raia, is expected to step into the bureau's deputy director role, assuming the No. 2 spot previously held by Dan Bongino.
Raia could begin the job as soon as next week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with The New York Times on the condition of anonymity.
The FBI confirmed the move to the outlet but declined to comment further.
Bongino left the FBI this month after spending less than a year in the role and announced on Wednesday that he plans to bring his podcast, "The Dan Bongino Show," back in early February.
Traditionally, the deputy director position has functioned as a kind of chief operating officer overseeing more than 30,000 employees. In August, the Trump administration added a second deputy director, Andrew Bailey, who had been Missouri attorney general.
Trump at one point briefly weighed nominating Bailey to be the nation's attorney general, and during the transition also discussed choosing him as FBI director. But the president viewed him as lackluster, the Times reported, citing people briefed on the meetings.
At the time, it was unclear whether Bailey's appointment pointed to Bongino's imminent departure. Similarly, it remains just as uncertain what Raia's arrival means for Bailey's future at the bureau.
Raia served as a Coast Guard officer before joining the FBI. He has spent much of his FBI career in Texas, advancing from violent-crime investigations to overseeing counterterrorism operations.
After spending a year as a deputy assistant director in Washington, Raia took charge of the New York office, the agency's largest, in March. Before that, he served for a year as chief of staff to another senior bureau official.
While his selection preserves an unusual three-person leadership structure, it also marks a return to a long-standing practice: placing a career agent in the No. 2 slot.
It was not immediately clear who would lead the FBI office in New York.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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