A former personality from Fox News, who was appointed by Donald Trump to be the deputy director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has surprised officials with his request for up to 20 agents to act as his security team.

Dan Bongino, aged 50, previously known for hosting The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble and Unfiltered with Dan Bongino on Fox News, took office as the deputy director of the FBI just last month. This appointment marked the first time in U.S. history that someone who was not a career agent assumed this role.

In another unprecedented move, he is now diverging from convention by seeking a full-time security detail to be by his side at all times. This level of protection is usually limited to the FBI director alone, as highlighted by a report from NBC News.

The podcaster’s unusual request came last week, when the bureau sent out an internal call for agents to temporarily abandon their posts and serve on Bongino’s protective security instead, two former and current officials told the outlet.

The internal message – known as a canvass – had sought any agents willing to relocate for one month of temporary duty to protect Bongino 24/7,  they said – noting that such full-time protection could require as many as 20 agents.

That would put a strain on the law enforcement agency, with one former official saying that the details for the FBI director and Attorney General ‘were always struggling to bring in personnel to meet their manning needs’ and would routinely bring in agents to serve on the detail temporarily.

Often, those agents were members of SWAT teams or came from the elite Hostage Rescue Team – which is dispatched to the FBI’s most dangerous and highest-priority operations.

Bongino’s request also seems to fly in the face of Director Kash Patel’s desire to transfer FBI agents from headquarters in Washington DC to the field, where he believes they could better fight crime. 

Dan Bongino, 50, the former host of The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble and Unfiltered with Dan Bongino on Fox News, has left officials astonished by requesting as many as 20 agents to serve as his security detail

Trump appointed him to serve as the deputy director of the FBI in February

The bureau sent out an internal call for agents to temporarily abandon their posts to serve on his security detail last week, according to NBC News

Making matters worse, those who spoke to NBC News said Bongino could have just gone through the process to be qualified by the FBI to carry a handgun – but he opted instead to poach agents for a full-time detail.

‘Of course he could carry – this is ridiculous,’ former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi told the outlet. 

‘The question is: What is the actual risk and threat here, or does he just want a detail?’

‘This is taxpayer money we’re talking about,’ he added.

In fact, only one single agent was assigned part-time to accompany the previous deputy director, Paul Abatte, to certain events.

But Abbate also carried his own service weapon and only used a full security detail when he traveled overseas.

Bongino, on the other hand, has already been using his bodyguards inside secure FBI facilities – including the headquarters, where officials say directors typically walk around without any security. 

He has already been using his bodyguards inside secure FBI facilities – including the headquarters, where officials say directors typically walk around without any security

Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and New York cop, is now in charge of supervising top officials who lead three regional divisions – unlike previous deputy FBI directors who would oversee all of the bureau’s operations.

He has not yet addressed the controversy over his security detail, but wrote on X over the weekend that there are some questions about his work that he cannot answer publicly.

‘Your comments and criticisms are not only welcome, but they’re helpful,’ he wrote on Sunday, noting he and Patel ‘work for you, the American people.

‘When you see something happen, and the entire story isn’t public, and the underlying facts aren’t all public, it may appear counterintuitive to our reform agenda,’ Bongino continued. ‘I promise you, it’s not an accident.

‘I realized when I signed up that I’d never be able to fully explain some decisions we make due to legal and ethical constraints. But that’s a pill I agreed to swallow when I swore in.

‘In conclusion, I realize asking you to “trust me” is a waste of time. Watch what happens, continue to demand results, be cautious of narrative “traps,” let time put the puzzle pieces together, and what we’re doing will make sense,’ he vowed.

The FBI declined to comment to DailyMail.com and NBC News.