Category: Former

Former United States Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino Tapped To Serve As FBI’s Deputy Director

I am the Deputy Director of the FBI.

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Dan Bongino attends 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
Dan Bongino attends 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:54 AM – Monday, February 24, 2025

New FBI Director Kash Patel announced that former U.S. Secret Service agent Dan Bongino will serve as the deputy director of the bureau.

Bongino previously served as a Secret Service agent and officer in the New York City Police Department. He also hosts a podcast called “The Dan Bongino Show.”

“Tremendous news for law enforcement and the future of American justice! I am proud to welcome Dan Bongino as the next Deputy Director of the FBI—a warrior and lifelong public servant,” Patel announced in an X post.

“Dan has dedicated his career to protecting this country, beginning with his time in the NYPD, where he served in one of the toughest precincts, the 75th, before spending more than a decade as a Special Agent in the United States Secret Service. His leadership, integrity, and deep commitment to justice make him the ideal choice to help lead the FBI at this critical time. He’s a cop’s cop,” Patel continued.

“With Pam Bondi as our new Attorney General, we are assembling a team focused on restoring public trust, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring justice is served. Dan is stepping away from an incredibly successful career because he believes in this mission—together, we are ready to put the mission first,” he added. “Welcome aboard, Dan. The country needs strong leadership, and I know you will serve with honor and dedication.”

President Donald Trump quickly issued Bongino a warm welcome, expressing that he is a “man of incredible love and passion for our Country.”

President Trump also highlighted in a Sunday Truth Social post that Bongino is “one of the most successful podcasters in the country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve.”

“Another aspect of the life of Dan Bongino that I think is very important. He has a great wife, Paula, and two wonderful daughters who truly love their dad. What an incredible job Dan will do!!!”

As deputy director of the FBI, Bongino will work directly under Patel — providing oversight and coordination of the day-to-day operations for all 55 field offices.

Prior to the announcement, Bongino celebrated Patel’s recent confirmation during a Friday episode of his show, stating: “We got Kash through, so now you are going to see what real change is like.”

Bongino also responded to the announcement of his appointment in an X post on Sunday.

“Thank you Mr. President, Attorney General Bondi, and Director Patel.”

“I’ve spent my life in public service, beginning with the NYPD and continuing through my time as a Secret Service agent, working under both Republican and Democrat administrations. I’ve witnessed firsthand the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women in these agencies who serve with integrity and honor,” Bongino stated.

“There are dedicated people in the FBI who take their oath to the Constitution seriously. They deserve leadership that will back them up, protect their mission, and ensure they can do their jobs,” he continued.

Patel and Bongino are expected to introduce major reforms into the bureau, as Patel has voiced a desire to move up to 1,000 agents out of Washington D.C. and into different field offices across the country.

Additionally, Patel previously floated the idea of closing down the FBI’s headquarters in D.C. and reopening it as a “museum of the deep state.”

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

Trump Taps Former Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg To Serve As Special Envoy To Russia And Ukraine

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 22: Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on September 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump said that he will reveal his pick to succeed the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on September 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:16 PM – Wednesday, November 27, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has announced that retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg will serve as his special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, a key position as the ongoing conflict continues to escalate.

“I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Keith has led a distinguished Military and Business career, including serving in highly sensitive National Security roles in my first Administration. He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

I am honored by @realDonaldTrump's appointment to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia. It was the privilege of my life working for President Trump, and I look forward to working tirelessly to secure peace through strength while upholding… pic.twitter.com/Nj6TFFEyui

— Keith Kellogg (@generalkellogg) November 27, 2024

Kellogg, who previously served as Trump’s chief of staff and executive secretary to the National Security Council, released a policy paper regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, arguing that the United States should only provide military aid to Ukraine on the condition that they enter into official diplomatic peace talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in July 2023 that Ukraine would never consider a peaceful agreement in its conflict with Russia as long as Moscow controls Crimea.

“We cannot imagine Ukraine without Crimea. And while Crimea is under the Russian occupation, it means only one thing: War is not over yet,” Zelenskyy, 45, said in a CNN interview.

Kellogg further explained how he sees the situation.

“Ukraine would not be asked to relinquish the goal of regaining all its territory, but it would agree to use diplomacy, not force, with the understanding that this would require a future diplomatic breakthrough, which probably will not occur before Putin leaves office,” Kellogg wrote, along with co-author Fred Fleitz.

Kellogg’s proposal also notes that the United States would increase support for Ukraine if Moscow refuses to engage in peace talks. However, if Ukraine refuses, the nation would most likely have certain “privileges” revoked, especially in terms of Western weaponry, according to analysts.

Trump was asked whether he supports Kellogg’s policy position, responding: “I’m the only one who can get the war stopped. It should have never started in the first place.”

President-elect Trump has historically criticized the consistent flow of American military aid and funds sent to Ukraine during their fight, preferring for both sides to negotiate rather than continuing warfare.

“As of September 30, 2024, the U.S. Ukraine response funding totals nearly $183 billion, with $130.1 billion obligated and $86.7 billion disbursed,” according to the Ukraine Oversight Committee.

Meanwhile, the 47th president-elect had more words to say regarding the Ukraine-Russia war.

“Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion. I think he’s the greatest salesman on Earth. But we’re stuck in that war – unless I’m president. I’ll get it done. I’ll get it negotiated,” Trump declared.

Additionally, Trump’s trusted advisors, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and his pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have also been outspoken critics of American taxpayer money being funneled into Ukraine’s war efforts.

“I know what Donald Trump was thinking while he was having that meeting. He was thinking, I want to turn this guy over and hold him by his legs and shake all the money out of his pockets and hope it adds up to $208 billion … That’s what the Democrats gave him, and we need to bring that money home,” Kennedy stated, referencing the funding Kiev has received since the beginning of the war,” Kennedy stated.

“I think it’s important if we’re ever going to end the war in Ukraine, fundamentally, at some level, we’re going to have to engage in some sort of negotiation between Ukraine, and between Russia, between our NATIO allies in Europe,” Vance added. “There is frankly no good reason that aid from the U.S. should be needed. Europe is made up of many great nations with productive economies.”

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

Trump Names Former Adviser Brooke Rollins As His Pick For Agriculture Secretary

Brooke Rollins, AFPI President & CEO, watches as former US President Donald Trump makes his way off stage after speaking at the America First Policy Institute Agenda Summit in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Brooke Rollins, AFPI President & CEO, watches as former US President Donald Trump makes his way off stage after speaking at the America First Policy Institute Agenda Summit in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:47 PM – Saturday, November 23, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Brooke Rollins, a former White House domestic policy adviser, to serves as his agriculture secretary in his new administration.

On Saturday, Trump released a statement praising Rollins’ “commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns.”

“A proud Graduate of Texas A&M University, Brooke earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agriculture Development, and J.D., with Honors,” the announcement said. “From her upbringing in the small and Agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, to her years of leadership involvement with Future Farmers of America and 4H, to her generational Family Farming background, to guiding her four kids in their show cattle careers, Brooke has a practitioner’s experience, along with deep Policy credentials in both Nonprofit and Government leadership at the State and National levels.”

Rollins held the roles of director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during the Trump administration.

Following her term in the White House, she co-founded the America First Policy Institute, a think tank dedicated to advancing policies aligned with the administration’s agenda.

Rollins released a statement following the announcement, thanking Trump for the opportunity.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

Trump Selects Fmr. NFL Player Scott Turner To Lead Department Of Housing And Urban Development

President Donald Trump makes shakes hands with White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Executive Director Scott Turner during the inaugural meeting of the council in the Cabinet Room at the White House April 04, 2019 in Washington, DC. The council was formed to carry out the Trump administration’s plan "to encourage public and private investment in urban and economically distressed areas, including qualified opportunity zones," according to the White House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump makes shakes hands with White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Executive Director Scott Turner during the inaugural meeting of the council in the Cabinet Room at the White House April 04, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:32 PM – Saturday, November 23, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has named former NFL player Scott Turner to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in his incoming administration.

On Friday, Trump released a statement announcing his new addition.

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in his announcement.

If approved by the Senate, Turner would oversee the agency responsible for enforcing housing laws, managing programs to address housing needs, providing rental subsidies for low-income families, and addressing cases of housing discrimination.

According to Politico, Turner is expected to carry out promises long laid out along the Trump campaign trail, including reversing Biden-era fair housing policies and overhauling homelessness programs.

During Trump’s first term, Turner played a pivotal role in leading the WHORC initiative, which was established in 2018 to “encourage public and private investment” in thousands of low-income census tracts designated as “opportunity zones” under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Following Trump’s defeat to Biden in 2020, Turner became the chair of the Center for Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute, an organization closely linked to Trump’s transition team.

Turner also served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

Before his political career, Turner played nine seasons in the NFL as a cornerback for the Washington Commanders, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos.

Turner thanked the president-elect, stating that he is “thrilled to continue the outstanding work we began in your last administration at HUD with an incredible team.”

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

Trump to appoint former ICE Director Tom Homan as next ‘border czar’: ‘nobody better at policing our borders’ Trump said Homan ‘will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin’

By Scott McDonald Fox News
Published November

Former acting ICE director Tom Homan said the prospect of mass deportations is not threatening to the nation's immigrant community, but "should be threatening to the illegal immigrant community." (CBS)

President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that he plans to appoint Thomas Homan as the next "border czar."

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social.

"​​I’ve known Tom for a long time and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited, job."

HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY 'BORDER CZAR' LABEL, PAST RADICAL IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN

Tom Homan at a microphone

Tom Homan, a FOX News contributor and former Trump Administration head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), delivers the keynote speech at the Columbiana County Lincoln Day Dinner in Salem, Ohio, on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Trump added that the "border czar" position isn’t just for monitoring the U.S. southern border with Mexico, but also "the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security. I’ve known Tom for a long time and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders."

This comes less than a week after Trump secured his second presidency, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, who was dubbed the "border czar" in the Biden administration.

Border security was a strong point of Trump’s first presidency, and it was a stalwart during both his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.

'STATUS QUO' AT SOUTHERN BORDER 'ENDS' WHEN TRUMP'S IN OFFICE, SAYS NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Tom Homan

Former acting ICE director Tom Homan joined "America Reports" on Thursday to discuss the border as well as AOC's criticism of President Biden. (Fox News)

Illegal border crossings surged under the Biden administration, with nearly 3 million in fiscal year 2024, according to Homeland Security’s website. There have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021.

Trump vowed during his campaign that he would once again take a hard-line approach to securing the border.

"It’s going to be a well-targeted, well-planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it," Homan said during a Fox News interview on Sunday, adding that deportations would be a "humane operation."

Homan Abbott Texas

Tom Homan is the pick for Trump's "border czar" when he takes over the presidency. (Getty Images)

Trump during his campaign referenced illegal immigrants as people fleeing countries that didn’t want them. He often said at his rallies that illegal immigrants flooded the U.S. with drugs and gangs, and that they became a hub for smuggling and human trafficking, saying they are "poisoning the blood of our country."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"They’re rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums," Trump said. "You know, insane asylums, that’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ stuff."

This is only the beginning of thousands of positions that need to be filled by his presidency. Trump has already announced that Susie Wiles, his co-campaign manager, will be the White House chief of staff.

Trump Taps Former ICE Director Tom Homan As ‘Border Czar’

Tyler Durden's Photo

by Tyler Durden
Monday, Nov 11, 2024 - 07:20 AM

President-elect Donald Trump revealed on Sunday night that he plans to appoint Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2017 and 2018, as the next "border czar."

"I am pleased to announce that Former ICE Director and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration in charge of our Nation's Borders ("The Border Czar"), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump continued, "I've known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin." 

"Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job," Trump said.

In recent weeks, Homan gave one of the most balanced interviews on immigration to the far-left media outlet CBS News' 60 Minutes. When asked about the taxpayer cost of deporting millions of illegal aliens, he responded, "What price do you put on national security?"

At the Republican National Convention in July, Homan told Trump supporters: "I've got a message ... to all the illegal aliens in violation of federal law ... you better start packing now." 

Homan recently torched far-left activist lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez while on The Hill.

While Homan secures the southern and northern borders and oversees the deportation of illegal aliens, there will be significant moves by the Trump administration to disrupt and destroy the dark money financial and trade networks that have sparked the horrific 100,000 US drug death overdose crisis per year caused by fentanyl and other drugs - much of which starts as precursor chemicals shipped from China, cooked into fentanyl by Mexican cartels, then flooded into the Lower 48.

Former Florida Congressional Candidate Charged After Threatening To Kill Opponent Rep. Ana Paulina Luna

Justice Department
Justice Department

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:40 AM – Sunday, September 29, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/former-florida-congressional-candidate-charged-after-threatening-to-kill-opponent-rep-ana-paulina-luna/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

A former Republican congressional candidate has been charged after allegations of threatening to kill his political opponent in 2021. 

William Braddock has been accused of making the alleged threats on June 8th, 2021, which include threatening to “call up [his] Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to take out his rival, Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.).

Prosecutors stated that the Republican candidate had been caught on audio calling Luna a “dead squirrel” and “a f—ing speed bump in the road.” 

A conservative activist recorded Braddock where he can be heard making threats against Luna.

“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” he was heard saying in the audio, as reported by Politico.

“That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f—ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel that you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.”

Braddock then went on to deny making any threats and insisted that the audio may have been altered. A judge later green-lit a restraining order against him.

After leaving the U.S., Braddock went to the Philippines and was eventually extradited there. The Justice Department said he was charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. 

On Thursday, he appeared in federal court in Los Angeles.

After winning the election, Luna was sworn into Congress for the first time in January 2023. 

Luna disclosed earlier this month that a “very serious shooting threat” was received by her office. She was vague about the specifics of the threat due to an ongoing investigation into it by law enforcement.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts