In a memo on Sunday evening, the FBI Agents Association told its 14,000 members that new director Kash Patel had assured them that he would follow tradition and name a career special agent with operational expertise as his deputy director.

WASHINGTON—Late Sunday, a group representing thousands of FBI agents told its members it was optimistic about the agency’s future, in part because its new director, Kash Patel, had assured the group he would choose a deputy from among their ranks.

The selection of former Secret Service agent and right-wing media commentator Dan Bongino as deputy to FBI Director Kash Patel places two staunch Trump allies atop the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency.