FBI deputy director liked social media post from anti-Trump ex-agent, FBI says it was an accident

FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia appears to have liked a post on social media from an ex-FBI agent and Democratic congressional candidate who has centered his campaign on opposing President Donald Trump and has criticized the administration's firings of agents at the bureau. 

A senior FBI official told Just the News that Raia's interaction with the post was an accident and indicated Director Kash Patel still has full confidence in him. 

“The acknowledgment of this post was accidental and immediately removed when brought to attention," the FBI's assistant director of the Office of Public Affairs told Just the News in a statement. "Chris Raia is an invaluable leader on Director Patel’s team, working 24/7 to crush violent crime, defend the homeland, and restore public trust." 

Indeed, Raia quickly removed the record of the interaction from his public LinkedIn profile after an inquiry from Just the News. 

Until Monday, Raia’s public LinkedIn page showed that the newly minted deputy reacted to a campaign post from David Sundberg roughly a month after he was appointed to replace outgoing deputy Dan Bongino. Sundberg, who led the FBI's Washington Field Office before he was fired by the Trump administration last year, is now running for Congress. 

Though no longer visible on Raia’s account, Just the News has preserved screenshots of the post and Raia’s interaction.

You can see the interaction below:

In February, Sundberg launched his campaign in Maryland as a Democrat to replace outgoing Rep. Steny Hoyer, a prominent House Democrat. Sundberg specifically cites his termination from the bureau as the turning point that encouraged him to enter politics to ensure “the government remains accountable to the people it serves, not one man’s political agenda.”

Sundberg joined the FBI in 2002 and rose up the ranks to serve as the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office during the Biden administration. During his tenure, Sundberg says he led the “massive investigation into the January 6th attack.” 

He also says his office assisted in the two investigations that ultimately led Special Counsel Jack Smith to charge Trump over his alleged retention of classified documents and challenges to the 2020 election results, according to his campaign website. 

“[F]ollowing the 2025 presidential inauguration, the Trump administration forced Dave out of the FBI as part of a retaliatory purge targeting those who stood up against the weaponization of government agencies as tools of partisan politics,” reads Sundberg’s campaign biography.

In at least two posts, Sundberg delivered criticisms of Kash Patel’s leadership of the FBI. In one, he specifically said that the director's firings of agents since he took the helm at the bureau have made the country "less safe." 

In one post, he shared an article from MS Now, “Kash Patel’s latest firings ousted agents with expertise in Iran." 

Sundberg posted to Facebook: "This is what happens when you take thoughtless retribution against federal employees. We are ALL less safe now because of Kash Patel.” 

He also shared reports that Patel’s use of the FBI’s jet for personal matters delayed the bureau’s response to mass shootings. 

“It’s clear that America is less safe with Kash Patel at the helm of the FBI,” he commented in February, referring to an article from MS Now. 

A review of Raia’s public LinkedIn profile shows the new deputy director liked one of Sundberg’s campaign posts from about one month ago.

Sundberg has been a vocal critic of Trump and FBI leadership since he was fired from the bureau and subsequently announced his run for office. 

“Although I was forced out of the FBI by the Trump administration, I will not be stopped in living up to the oath I took to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” Sundberg posted to the platform and linked to his campaign website. 

His campaign appears to be centered largely on his efforts to investigate Trump while he served in the Washington Field Office, and he portrays his termination from the bureau as political retaliation for having refused to “fall in line” with the new administration.    

“I’ve already taken on Donald Trump and paid the price for it,” Sundberg posted to Facebook last week. “I investigated January 6th. I investigated attempts to overturn an election. When I wouldn’t fall in line, I was fired. That’s exactly why I’m running for Congress.” 

The Democratic candidate said in another post, “I don't just talk about holding Trump accountable, I've done it.” 

Most recently, Sundberg said that he attended a No Kings rally in southern Maryland organized to protest Trump. He posted a photo of himself at the rally next to a sign that reads, “RESIST. Choose Democracy.” 

Sundberg’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News.  

Raia was appointed as the deputy director of the FBI by Patel last year, a position he assumed roughly one month before the appearance of his social media interaction with the political candidate. Raia succeeded Bongino in the number two role at the bureau. Raia serves as co-deputy director alongside Andrew Bailey, the former attorney general of Missouri. 

Unlike his predecessor, Raia is a career FBI agent. He led the FBI’s response to the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day last year and that April was tapped to lead the bureau's New York Field Office. 

Raia's promotion to deputy director placed him directly under Patel, a role likened to the bureau’s chief operating officer by the New York Times. This appointment was a significant move in the bureau's leadership structure following the change in administration.