Dan Bongino embodies the “Find Out” half of the “F*** Around and Find Out” (FAFO) ethos, a street-smart philosophy that suggests actions have consequences—and he’s made it his mission to ensure the corrupt get their reckoning. A former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent turned conservative firebrand, Bongino’s no-nonsense style and knack for sniffing out malfeasance have fueled his rise as a popular podcaster and commentator. His appointment as FBI Deputy Director on February 23, 2025, under President Trump’s administration, signals that the guy who’s been relentlessly digging into government overreach is now in a position to wield real power—ready to make those who’ve “f***ed around” face the music.
 

His investigative reporting on the Russiagate scandal is a cornerstone of his reputation, where he’s argued that the whole Trump-Russia collusion narrative was a fabricated hit job orchestrated by a web of political operatives, intelligence insiders, and media players. In his books like Spygate and Follow the Money, plus countless episodes of The Dan Bongino Show, he’s laid out a case that the Steele dossier was a Clinton-funded sham, peddled through Fusion GPS and amplified by figures like Glenn Simpson and George Soros, while Obama-era officials—like John Brennan and James Comey—allegedly bent the rules to spy on Trump’s campaign via FISA warrants and informants. Bongino’s dug into specifics, like the Trump Tower meeting being a nothingburger and the FBI’s own documents showing no real evidence, painting it as a deliberate “information laundering” scheme to kneecap Trump’s presidency from the jump.
 

For the so-called “deep state”—those entrenched bureaucrats and insiders he accuses of weaponizing agencies like the FBI and DOJ against political foes—this spells trouble. With Bongino now second-in-command at the FBI, alongside Director Kash Patel (another Trump loyalist confirmed just days earlier), the duo could turn the agency’s resources toward exposing and dismantling what he sees as a corrupt network that’s dodged accountability for years. His track record suggests he’ll push for investigations into those he’s called out—think Mueller’s team, Clinton cronies, or even the Brookings Institute types he’s accused of playing footsie with foreign cash—potentially flipping the script on the hunters to make them the hunted, all while the “Find Out” clock ticks louder than ever.