FBI Names Christopher Raia Co-deputy Director, Replacing Bongino

Christopher G. Raia, a career FBI agent who joined the bureau in 2003, was named co-deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the bureau said on Jan. 9. Raia will share the No. 2 operational post with Andrew Bailey and will work with Director Kash Patel; the bureau said Raia was expected to report to Washington, D.C., on the Monday following the announcement to begin his duties.

Raia succeeds Dan Bongino, the political appointee whose departure from the role was announced in December and whose final day was reported as Jan. 3. The elevation of Raia, who has been described in reporting as having over two decades of FBI service, returns a seasoned career agent to a position long staffed by bureau lifers responsible for day-to-day operations and coordination among field offices.

Raia took charge of the New York Field Office in April, a promotion that followed a broader reorganization after the purge of senior bureau leadership in the opening months of President Donald Trump’s second term. Before his New York assignment, Raia served at FBI Headquarters in the Counterterrorism Division; in 2024 he held the title of deputy assistant director overseeing international counterterrorism program management. His career also included an extended period in Texas — described as roughly a decade — where he worked on investigations into violent crime, gangs, narcotics and white‑collar offenses. In early 2025 he was dispatched to manage the probe of a terrorist attack in New Orleans and to coordinate the public response to that investigation.

The co-deputy structure now pairs Raia, a career agent, with Andrew Bailey, a political appointee installed in the co-deputy role by Attorney General Pam Bondi in September. The three-person senior leadership team is an unusual configuration that emerged amid reports of internal tension and high-profile turnover. The deputy director role carries responsibility for the FBI’s roughly 30,000 employees and for ensuring consistent investigative standards and operational coordination across the national field office network, making leadership continuity an important concern for both agents and the public.

Analysts and bureau officials expect Raia’s appointment to be received positively within the ranks, where career experience and institutional knowledge are highly valued. Restoring a career official to the No. 2 post signals a potential shift toward consolidation and continuity after months of disruption. For external stakeholders — from federal prosecutors to intelligence partners — the change could improve day-to-day collaboration and reduce frictions that accompany leadership churn.

Several practical questions remain unanswered. The bureau has not named Raia’s replacement in New York, leaving succession planning and case continuity in that critical field office unresolved. More broadly, the dual co-deputy arrangement will be watched for how it affects the balance between operational independence and political oversight at a moment when the bureau faces intense public scrutiny and high-stakes national security challenges.